A sector of the U.S.-Mexico border saw a significant increase in the number of migrants attempting to cross in recent weeks. The sharp increase in attempted crossings into Arizona comes as the southern border recently saw a new record of migrant encounters following the end of former President Donald Trump’s Title 42 asylum policy.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers captured almost 60,000 individuals attempting to cross the border in the Tucson Sector so far in November. This represented a significant increase above the October figures.
In the past week alone, law enforcement announced more than 15,000 border apprehensions.
In addition, CBP also seized more than 100 pounds of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Law enforcement also announced stopping 14 “human smuggling events” during the same period.
The previous week saw alarming figures, as well. There were more than 14,000 border apprehensions and 300 pounds of fentanyl seized. In addition, the border officials stopped 15 human smuggling events and seized two firearms.
During the sharp increase in migrant crossings, several of the border states have taken action. This includes the Texas state government, which under Gov. Greg Abbott (R) launched Operation Lone Star to curtail crossings.
Using the state’s National Guard and police force, the governor said that his state was “the only one deterring migrants from making dangerous illegal crossings.”
The United Nations declared the U.S.-Mexico border the world’s deadliest land crossing.
Biden’s open border policies are the direct cause.
Texas is the only one deterring migrants from making dangerous illegal crossings. pic.twitter.com/rXGDI30UaJ
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) September 26, 2023
Abbott also laid the responsibility for the increase of attempted crossings on what he described as President Joe Biden’s “open border policies.” He also cited a United Nations statement that the U.S.-Mexico frontier was “the world’s deadliest land crossing.”
In September, the number of border crossings reached their highest level on record. There were more than 260,000 border encounters, according to CBP statistics.
The number of attempted border crossings has increased significantly since Biden took office in 2021. The end of the Title 42 policy also ended Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, which critics state helped reduce the number of migrants crossing into the United States.
