The number of illegal migrants in Border Patrol facilities has more than doubled roughly three months after Title 42, the Trump-era expulsion policy, ended, according to internal agency data obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Title 42 ended on May 11, and Border Patrol encounters at the southern border dropped in June to roughly 99,000. Border Patrol across all sectors, including in the North, South and along the coast, had almost 17,000 illegal migrants in custody on the evening of August 10 compared to 7,696 on the evening of June 8, according to the data.
The Biden administration touted programs implemented to address an expected surge southern border surge come May 11 as the reason illegal migration numbers fell following the policy’s end. While illegal immigration numbers fell, one of the programs, CBP One, a phone app allowing migrants to schedule legal entry appointments, led to a record surge of migrants entering the country through ports of entry in June after Title 42 ended.
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The Biden administration expanded the use of the CBP One phone app at the end of June to allow roughly 1,450 migrants per day to book appointments to enter the U.S. via ports of entry along the southern border.
“At first it seemed alright. We had the facilities and manpower to handle it, now it’s back to being a shitshow. The damage that is being done is irreversible. Agents are sick and tired of the abuse, feeling like we have broken our oaths, and everyone is looking for a way out,” a Border Patrol agent stationed in the Del Rio sector, who requested anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak publicly, told the DCNF.
The latest custody data show that two sectors along the U.S.-Mexico border have exceeded their holding capacities. Texas’ Del Rio sector hit 140% capacity with more than 2,500 illegal migrants in custody as of Thursday evening, and Arizona’s Tucson sector hit 119% also with more than 2,500 in custody.
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“Regardless of Secretary Mayorkas’ attempts to circumvent the law by diverting would be illegal aliens to our ports of entry to hide the truth to the America people, the cartels aren’t listening. Smugglers know our borders remain wide-open and as expected, the flow of illegal continues at a crushing pace,” Mark Morgan, former acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner during the Trump administration, told the DCNF of the custody numbers increasing.
Most of the illegal migrants in Border Patrol custody as of Thursday night are citizens of Venezuela, Guatemala and Honduras. There were also 338 illegal migrants from Senegal, 217 from India and 181 from Mauritania.
“[The] flow of illegal immigration continues,” Morgan said.
Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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