During fiscal year 2019, the U.S. Border Patrol arrested nearly 980,000 migrants according to recent data from acting Customs and Border Patrol commissioner Mark Morgan and available CBP data.
During September 2019, 52,000 migrants were apprehended at the Southern border, Morgan said in a White House briefing, bringing the total apprehension and inadmissible number to nearly 980,000.
The nearly 980,000 apprehended and inadmissible migrant number is 20,000 less than the Washington Post’s reported “nearly 1 million.”
The astronomically rising numbers are likely because single adults no longer compromise the total amount of those crossing the border. Now, family units are crossing in far larger numbers.
According to CBP data, there were 424,143 total apprehensions from October to August of 2019 of family units, compared to 245,811 single adults. The majority of these family units travel from Central America, comparative to Mexico.
Just three years ago, in 2016 there were 73,888 total apprehensions of family units, but there were 257,454 single adults crossing, 175,353 from Mexico alone.
After seeing some of the highest numbers of apprehensions in the month of May alone–144,255–the Trump administration became more determined than ever to lower these numbers. In June 2019, Trump put renewed pressure on Mexico to get enforce immigration laws.
Trump insisted Mexico deploy troops to the U.S.-Mexico border as well as Mexico’s border with Belize and Guatemala. Since the deployment of Mexico’s nearly 15,000 troops, CBP data shows U.S. apprehensions have decreased by 177 percent.
However, the apparent success of these newly implemented policies will not be included in the 2019 fiscal year apprehensions number. The number compromises the entire 2019 fiscal year, while Mexico’s expansion of border enforcement did not take place until late-June.
If the numbers continue to trend on a decline, 2020 will is projected to see a significantly lower number.
