Written by Post Public Information Representative, Apr 18, 2023, 0 Comments
Courtesy U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
WASHINGTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released operational statistics today for March 2023, which can be viewed online here.
“CBP works around the clock to perform our vital missions including maintaining border security. Overall, in March, encounters of individuals on the Southwest border between ports of entry were down 23% from the prior year, as we continue to respond to the challenges presented by increasing global migration,” said CBP Acting Commissioner Troy A. Miller. “CBP will continue to enforce our immigration laws and ramp up efforts to combat smuggler misinformation as we prepare to return to expedited removal proceedings under Title 8 authorities, which carry stricter consequences like a five-year ban on reentry and potential criminal prosecution for unlawful entry.”
CBP Southwest Border Enforcement Numbers for March 2023
U.S. Border Patrol encounters of individuals who entered the country between Ports of Entry at the southwest border in March 2023 totaled 162,317, up 25% from 130,024 in February 2023. Our January border enforcement measures continue to hold strong even against the typical migration patterns seen as we enter the warmer months. This month’s encounters are down 23% from last year, and the month-over-month change is the lowest seasonal increase seen in two years.
This increase in encounters from February to March is typical, as winter temperatures rise with the approaching spring, but less compared to prior years. Border Patrol’s 162,317 encounters along the southwest border in March 2023, however, were down 23% from March 2022 (211,181) and down 4% from March 2021 (169,216). Additionally, the rate of increase from February to March 2023 (25%) for Border Patrol’s southwest encounters was less than the rate of increase from February to March 2022 (33%) and February to March 2021 (73%).
Combining Border Patrol encounters and noncitizens processed at Ports of Entry, CBP total encounters along the southwest border in March 2023 were 191,900, up nearly 23% from 156,138 in February 2023. Of these, single adult encounters increased by 19% compared to February, unaccompanied children increased 14%, and family unit individuals increased by 38%.
Over two-thirds (69%) of all southwest land border encounters were single adults, with 133,256 encounters in March, a 19% increase compared to February.
87,662 encounters, 46% of the total, were processed for expulsion under Title 42. 104,238 encounters were processed under Title 8.
77,257 encounters involving single adults (58% of all single adult encounters) were processed for expulsion under Title 42, with 55,999 processed under Title 8 (42% of all single adult encounters).
10,171 encounters involving family unit individuals (22% of all family unit individuals) were processed for expulsion under Title 42, with 35,793 processed under Title 8 (78% of all family unit individuals).
In March 2023, there were 43,958 (23%) repeat encounters and 123,898 (65%) unique encounters. The number of unique individuals encountered in March 2023 was 123,898 compared to 97,069 in February 2023, a 28% increase in the number of unique individuals encountered the prior month.
Of those, 23% involved individuals who had at least one prior encounter in the previous 12 months, compared to an average one-year re-encounter rate of 14% for FY2014-2019.
Unaccompanied Children
Encounters of unaccompanied children increased 14%, with 12,374 encounters in March compared with 10,845 in February. In March, the average number of unaccompanied children in CBP custody was 464 per day, compared with an average of 438 per day in February.
Family Unit individuals
Encounters of family unit individuals increased by 38% from 33,291 in February to 45,964 in March—which is a 47% decrease from the peak of 86,626 in August 2021.
CBP total encounters along the southwest border in March 2023 (191,900) were down (14%) percent from March 2022 (222,574). Additionally, the rate of increase from February to March 2023 (23%) for CBP total encounters along the southwest border was less than the rate of increase from February to March 2022 (34%).
During March 2023, 27,783 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (including immediate family members where applicable) were paroled into the country by CBP’s Office of Field Operations through the parole processes established for Venezuelans in October and expanded to the additional nationalities in January. Arrivals of noncitizens via these processes, which include careful vetting and require a supporter present in the Unites States, are a testament to the benefit of these lawful processes in promoting safe and orderly migration while reducing encounters along the Southwest Border.
Encounters of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans between ports of entry at the southwest border declined from a 7-day average of 1,231 on the day of the announcement on January 5, to a seven-day average of 339 on March 31—a drop of 72 percent.
