Migrant encounters decreasing along border; rescues continue to rise

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector has seen a decline in migrant encounters along the Southwest Land Border this Fiscal Year 2024, which started in October of last year.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's data :

• In Fiscal Year 2021, the El Paso Sector saw 193,918 encounters.
• In 2022: 307,844
• In 2023: 427,471
• In 2024 so far: 218,718

U.S. Border Patrol Agent Claudio Herrera told ABC-7 compared to last year, Border Patrol is seeing a 37% decrease. This decrease in numbers is helping Border Patrol agents process migrants faster and allocate agents in the field to secure the border.

On average, the El Paso Sector is currently encountering 380 migrants a day. When Title 42 was set to expire, Border Patrol was seeing more than 2,400 daily encounters.

"Definitely would like to see those numbers decrease even more because that will mean that fewer people are risking their lives and endangering them or their family members in the different challenges of the desert," said Agent Herrera-Baeza.

Anyone trying to cross illegally into the U.S. will still be processed under Title 8 and face removal proceedings such as being banned for up to five years for the first offense and ten years for a second offense.

Human smugglers South of the border are telling migrants to cross anywhere along the border wall if they have their CBP One App appointment, but that it's not true.

Even if they have an appointment with federal officials, migrants need to go to a designated Port of Entry instead of crossing illegally.

Agent Herrera also mentioned historically the weather has been once cause of the decrease in encounters along the border, but rescues have gone up as well.

This Fiscal Year, Border Patrol has seen nearly 760 rescues so far. Last year they recorded a total of 597. Most of the rescues and deaths have been due to heat-related illnesses, dehydration, drownings in the water canals or the river, and falls from the border wall, among other factors.

ABC-7 also asked what the U.S.B.P. El Paso Sector expects to see at the end of Fiscal Year 2024:

"We expect the best, our Border Patrol agents are confident in what they do, their responsibilities. We take pride in wearing this batch, wearing this uniform every single day, and protecting our communities," Agent Herrera added.

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