U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published a news release detailing the updated numbers. The agency stated that border guards have arrested illegal aliens more than 1.8 million times nationwide since the beginning of the fiscal year in October 2021. There were 1.66 million total apprehensions in Fiscal Year 2021.
In Texas border patrol sectors, agents encountered illegal aliens about 118,000 times, an approximate 8 percent drop from June. That includes the Del Rio, El Paso, Big Bend, Laredo, and Rio Grande Valley sectors. There were approximately 182,000 arrests along the southwest border overall.
The agency designed a new public awareness campaign called “Say No to the Coyote” to deter foreign nationals from falling prey to human smugglers and other criminals.
“Smugglers use lies to lure the vulnerable into a dangerous journey that often ends in removal or death,” CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said in a news release announcing the campaign. “This digital ad campaign is an important component of U.S. government efforts to prevent tragedies and curtail irregular migration.”
CBP indicated that 37 percent of the individuals arrested were “processed for expulsion under Title 42.” 48 percent of single adults arrested were set for expulsion under Title 42.
The use of Title 42 remains in limbo after a federal judge blocked its termination in May. The program allows the rapid expulsion of illegal immigrants during a public health emergency, first invoked by former President Trump at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to CBP statistics, about 22 percent of those encountered in Texas sectors were from Mexico while 14 percent were Honduran.
About 45 percent of those encountered in Texas sectors were from places other than Mexico and Central America. The Wall Street Journal reported that many of those immigrating illegally for economic and political reasons are Cuban, Nicaraguan, or Venezuelan.
Last month, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state police and National Guardsmen to begin transporting illegal aliens back to ports of entry. His office stated last week that 3,900 individuals have been taken to the border pursuant to Executive Order GA-41, a small fraction of the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants encountered this year.
In an effort to draw attention to border security and focus criticism on the Biden administration, Abbott also created a program to provide voluntary transportation to Washington, D.C. and New York City for illegal aliens. The State of Texas has moved thousands of individuals out-of-state under the order, which has been derided by New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the White House.
Registered voters in Texas trust Abbott more than Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke on border security and immigration issues, according to a poll conducted earlier this month by The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler.
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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."
