The total is an increase from just under 99,000 arrests in Texas border sectors in October 2021, but a slight drop from 136,000 in September of this year. 92,000 of the encounters in October were with single adults.
In its monthly operational update, Acting Commissioner Troy Miller emphasized the decrease in encounters with Venezuelan nationals after the Biden administration announced a new policy to deport all Venezuelan illegal immigrants and create a legal pathway for 24,000 to be admitted. CBP stated there was a 35 percent drop in arrests of Venezuelans from September to October.
“Encounters of Cuban and Nicaraguan asylum seekers fleeing their authoritarian regimes continues (sic) to be at an historic high. This reflects the challenge that is gripping the hemisphere, as displaced populations flee authoritarianism, corruption, violence, and poverty,” Miller said.
Chris Magnus, the former commissioner of CBP, resigned last week after facing pressure to do so from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Miller has taken over for Magnus, having previously filled that role prior to Magnus’ confirmation in December 2021.
Many individuals encountered by border police and immigration officials have already attempted to cross illegally in the preceding year. This was especially the case during the implementation of the Title 42 public health order.
CBP stated that 37 percent of the people encountered were from Cuba, Nicaragua, or Venezuela, while 33 percent were from Mexico or North Central America.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan struck down the Title 42 public health order that had been used to rapidly deport hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former President Trump announced his third presidential bid on Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Much of the debate regarding immigration policy has focused on Trump’s measures during his term in office. Since then, CBP reported more illegal immigration in Fiscal Year 2022 than in any prior year with 2.4 million encounters along the southwestern U.S. border.
Arrests by border police do not account for those encountered at ports of entry. There were 16,000 encounters reported by the El Paso and Laredo field offices in October.
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Hayden Sparks
Hayden Sparks is a senior reporter for The Texan and a lifelong resident of the Lone Star State. He has coached competitive speech and debate and has been involved in politics since a young age. One of Hayden's favorite quotes is by Sam Houston: "Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may."
