The Biden administration is taking several actions in response to what appears to be the beginning of an increase — as well as a change — in migrant traffic at the southern border.
The number of overall migrant encounters at the southern border fell after highs seen before Title 42 expired in early May, confounding some predictions. There were more than 200,000 encounters in May and this dropped to around 144,000 in June.
However, just as the Biden administration has touted the drop in numbers as a sign that its post-Title 42 strategy is working, the numbers are reportedly on the rise. The Washington Post reported last week that preliminary numbers show a 30% increase in July.
DHS CALLS FOR MORE AGENCY VOLUNTEERS TO HELP PROCESS MIGRANTS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER
Migrants are seen congregating in an outdoor fenced enclosure outside the Ajo Border Patrol Station, Saturday, July 22, 2023, as the state continues its record-setting heat wave. (Joe Rondone/Imagn)
Additionally, there are signs of a change in traffic from Texas to Arizona. CBS News reported that the Tucson sector saw a 134% increase from June, in a region seeing blistering heat and extreme conditions.
A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told Fox News Digital on Saturday that the agency is working to address the “large number of migrants” crossing the desert area near Ajo — a typically desolate and quiet part of the border.
“The US Border Patrol has increased personnel and transportation resources to respond to an increase in encounters in the area – some of the hottest, most isolated, and dangerous areas of the southwest border – where individuals have no carefully sent by smuggling organizations to walk. miles, often with little or no water,” said a spokesman.
Media outlets highlighted the station in Ajo, where a chain-linked fence was placed around an area holding migrants — described by some as a “cage.” CBP stressed that only adults will be held there in the shade and monitored, and until they can be transported to larger facilities with better equipment.
PENTAGON WITHDRAWS 1,100 TROOPS FROM US-MEXICO BORDER; 400 TO EXTEND
“The Border Patrol has prioritized the rapid transportation of non-citizens encountered in this desert environment, which is particularly dangerous in the current weather conditions, to USBP facilities where individuals can receive medical care, food and water. USBP only used shaded areas outside as needed and for very short periods of time while they waited for onward transport to larger facilities,” the spokesperson said.
On the broader border, there are signs that the administration is moving to prepare for any surge of migrants.
US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 11, 2023. ((Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
The Pentagon announced last week that only 1,100 of the 1,500 active-duty troops would be returned to home base, and it approved an extension of 400 through the end of the month.
The troops were deployed to assist Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with processing ahead of the expected surge after Title 42.
Separately, Fox News Digital obtained a DHS memo last week that sent an internal search for volunteers to help with processing. The internal memo sent to staff by acting Deputy Secretary Kristie Canegallo says that while there have been “positive trends” at the border since the end of Title 42 in May, “we must remain vigilant and prepared for emerging trends and future increases in migration. .”
MIGRANT NUMBERS CROSSING DARIEN GAP SET NEW RECORD, DESPITE US EFFORS
“To support this critical mission, I ask that you consider registering to be part of the DHS Volunteer Force (VF),” it said. A DHS official said those programs have been “hugely successful,” and the department is encouraging more workers to participate and is ensuring the agency’s operational readiness means filling critical roles before they are needed.
That memo came as Fox News Digital also reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents are increasing their numbers at the border from 60 to 200 as part of Operation Expanded Impact. Agents are placed in key sectors in Texas, Arizona and California.
A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital at the time that the numbers of people crossing the border illegally are still lower than before Title 42 expired on May 11.
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Illegal border crossings have decreased since our border enforcement plan went into effect and remain below levels seen while Title 42 was in effect,” the spokesperson said. “We remain vigilant and expect to see changes, knowing that smugglers continue to use disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals.”
The agency noted that divisions across the department will work together and coordinate operations based on a variety of factors. Asylum officials have also increased by 33%, and the agency is seeking to complete the first credible fear interview within days of the claim made by the migrants. And it will continue to review operations and work with other governments to address changes in migration flows.
