GOP Congressional delegation visits the southern border in crisis
Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin reports near the southern border where a delegation of seven GOP members of Congress are visiting this week on 'Special Report.'
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection released its June 2022 Monthly Operational Report showing record levels of border crossings are continuing, including a record-setting number of terrorist sightings and an increased number of unaccompanied children and illegal drugs found at the U.S.-Mexico border.
In the report, the CBP said there were more than 207,416 encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border for the month of June. While the overall number of border interactions is down from May’s all-time high of 239,000, it is the fourth month in a row of more than 200,000 encounters.
Of those total encounters, 26% were seeking to enter the U.S. after having "at least one prior encounter in the previous 12 months," the CBP said. Also, 68% were single adults, without children or accompanied family members.
TOPSHOT - Latin American migrants take part in a caravan towards the border with the United States, in Huehuetan, Chiapas state, Mexico, on June 7, 2022.(Photo by Isaac GUZMAN / AFP) ((Photo by ISAAC GUZMAN/AFP via Getty Images))
"The men and women of CBP keep our country secure by enforcing our immigration and trade laws at our ports of entry and along our borders," said CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus.
"While fluctuations are normal from month to month, we saw a 14% decrease in encounters compared to the previous month. We are committed to implementing our strategy of reducing irregular migration, dissuading migrants from undertaking the dangerous journey, and increasing enforcement efforts against human smuggling organizations," he added.
A Border Patrol agent walks between a gap along the border wall between the US and Mexico in Yuma, Arizona on June 1, 2022. ((Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images))
The June report shows there were 105,161 migrants removed from the U.S. last month, including 92,273 expelled under CDC’s Title 42 Order. The CBP said 79,652 migrants were released into the US.
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With June’s figures, there have now been 1,746,119 total encounters at the southern border in the 2022 fiscal year. This already eclipses the record-setting 1,734,686 encounters set in the 2021 fiscal year and there are still three months remaining in FY'22.
The Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) flagged six hits in June, bringing the total to 56 for FY’22, which is nearly double the 30 in the previous four years combined.
Vehicles wait to enter the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) San Ysidro Port of Entry along the US-Mexico border in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico on April 9, 2022. ((Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images))
The report also saw an increase in the number of unaccompanied children at the border.
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The CBP found 15,271 unaccompanied children at the border in June, a four percent increase from May. The average number of unaccompanied children in CBP custody was 752 per day, another increase from May’s average of 692 per day.
"We continue to rescue and provide medical assistance to those in distress," Magnus said. "My message to those considering taking this dangerous journey is simple: this is not an easy passage, the human smugglers only care about your money – not your life or the lives of your loved ones, and you will be placed in removal proceedings from the United States if you cross the border without legal authorization and are unable to establish a legal basis to remain."
ARIZONA, USA- MAY 20: A Asylum seekers board a CBP transport van after entering the U.S.A., in Yuma Arizona., May 20, 2022
The CBP also saw a sizable year-over-year increase in cocaine and methamphetamine seizures, 62% and 14% respectively, while heroin and fentanyl seizures declined by 49% and 41%.
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LAREDO, TEXAS - JANUARY 14: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers inspect a shipment of car batteries after seeing something unusual through a scanner at the Laredo Port of Entry in Laredo, Texas, Friday, January 14, 2022. ((Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images))
The CBP report comes in compliance with a lawsuit the state of Texas and the state of Missouri filed against President Joe Biden in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas Amarillo Division.
The lawsuit requires the federal government to produce monthly reports on immigration figures, including the total monthly number of encounters at the southwest border, the total monthly number of migrants expelled from the country, and total detention capacity and current usage rate.
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