by Jennie Taer
Border Patrol saw a new surge in illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border in September that marked a new record for the agency, according to internal agency data exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Border Patrol recorded 218,777 encounters across the southern border in September, the highest on record for the month going back to at least the year 2000, according to the data. September marks the end of fiscal year 2023, meaning Border Patrol apprehensions surpassed 2 million.
The last September high was when Border Patrol recorded 207,597 encounters with illegal migrants in 2022.
“It is the policy of CBP to neither confirm nor speak to potentially improperly disclosed information or internal documents marked as law enforcement sensitive or for official use only,” a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson told the DCNF.
The spokesperson also referred the DCNF to a previous statement from Troy A. Miller, senior official performing the duties of the commissioner, about the surge in illegal immigration at the southern border in August that hit 181,059 encounters.
“CBP remains vigilant in the face of ruthless smugglers and transnational criminal organizations who exploit vulnerable migrants, the same criminal organizations trafficking in lethal drugs that harm our communities,” Miller said at the time.
“Our operational tempo along the border has increased in response to increased encounters, and we remain squarely focused on our broader security mission and enforcing U.S. immigration laws. We are maximizing consequences against those without a legal basis to remain in the United States, including by processing more individuals into expedited removal than ever before,” Miller added. “The men and women of CBP continue to work, day in and day out, to protect our nation, disrupting the entry of dangerous people and dangerous goods into the country while providing humanitarian care for vulnerable individuals.”
The Biden administration announced in early October the construction of more southern border wall in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas due to a surge in illegal immigration.
In Eagle Pass, Texas, Border Patrol has been instructed to cut concertina wire erected by Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to deter illegal crossings. That area experienced a continued flow of migrants in September that largely came from Venezuela, the DCNF observed at the time.
EXCLUSIVE: Illegal Migrants Fist Bump Border Patrol After They Cut Through Abbott’s Border Wirehttps://t.co/hjfo3uzi9q@DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/te7NF8cczr
— Jennie Taer
(@JennieSTaer) September 28, 2023
“What is happening right here is completely against our own immigration laws, against our own constitution and we’re allowing this administration to continue to do this. We’ve seen hundreds of illegals come through here without absolutely no restriction. I don’t hear anybody seeking asylum, I don’t hear anybody talking about asylum or having a credible fear to be returning to their country,” Victor Avila, a former homeland security special agent who is running for Congress to represent a portion of south Texas that includes the town of Eagle Pass, told the DCNF during a visit to the area.
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Jennie Taer is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Illegal Immigrants” by John Modlin.
