The number of encounters between migrant and U.S. Border Patrol agents are skyrocketing. | U.S. Border Patrol
The number of encounters between migrant and U.S. Border Patrol agents are skyrocketing. | U.S. Border Patrol
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency said the Swanton Sector, which includes counties in Vermont, New York and New Hampshire, has seen a 92% increase in encounters.
“MAJOR INCREASE!!! ," Keith Hoops, chief patrol agent in the Swanton Sector, said on Twitter. "According to recent data, Swanton Sector’s border encounters have INCREASED over 92% from last year. Our #BorderPatrol Agents have worked tirelessly to keep America safe."
The National Border Patrol Council announced its endorsement of Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson against his Democratic opponent Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, the Washington Free Beacon reports. Barnes is a “far-left lieutenant governor” who is backed by anti-police groups that do not support law enforcement, the Free Beacon says. Barnes did not offer a concrete plan to combat the increasing number of illegal crossings.
According to CBP data, encounters with migrants at the border have reached more than two million, already higher than the total for last fiscal year, which was 1,956,519 and ended Sept. 20, 2021.
A June report from the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations says that the Biden administration has removed many of the policies set by the Trump administration including the migrant protection protocols, asylum cooperative agreements and prompt asylum claim review, which has eased travel restrictions and made Border Patrol’s job more difficult.
The border crisis has been characterized as a national security crisis as well as a humanitarian crisis. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, 4.9 million migrants have crossed the border illegally since President Biden took office, and 3.4 million have come from the southern border. In July, Border Patrol agents saw 199,976 illegal migrants cross, a 325% increase than under Trump.
Migrants coming from the southern border are overwhelmingly from Mexico, although data from the CBP shows an increase in encounters from Central American countries, such as Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. In August 2020, there were 9,652 encounters with migrants from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, compared to 91,925 encounters in August 2021.
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