CBP: Unsanctioned crossing attempts up 51% in April

A sharp uptick in unsanctioned crossing attempts along the California-Mexico border in April is diverting security resources and extending wait times, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a release issued Friday.

Through the first 26 days of April, CBP said officers at California land border crossings encountered 1,632 inadmissible individuals, compared to 1,081 inadmissible individuals the same time period in March. That is a 51 percent increase.

CBP noted these individuals are increasingly citizens of countries other than Mexico.

As a result of these increases, CBP said it has had to dedicate resources to securing the port of entry and processing these individuals. This has repositioned resources that would otherwise be dedicated to critical passenger and cargo processing, leading to increased wait times for others.

“CBP officials are committed to securing the border while safely facilitating legitimate trade and travel into the U.S. and continue to adjust operations,” the release said. “We also continue to reach out to our partners in Mexico as well to coordinate and secure their assistance; our combined efforts to address illegal crossings in both countries are necessary to allow us to get back to devoting the resources necessary to keep legitimate traffic flowing.”

CBP reminded the public the border remains restricted to essential crossings only. U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and certain other travelers are exempt from the restrictions on entry at U.S. land borders. Otherwise, CBP officers along the California-Mexico border continue to restrict travelers that are not exempt from crossing the border for non-essential travel purposes. Essential travel includes, but is not limited to:

• Individuals traveling to receive medical treatment

• Individuals traveling to attend educational institutions

• Individuals traveling to work in the United States

• Individuals traveling for emergency response and public health purposes

• Individuals engaged in lawful cross-border trade, such as truck drivers

• Individuals engaged in official government travel or diplomatic travel

• Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the spouses and children of members of the U.S. Armed Forces, returning to the United States

• Individuals engaged in military-related travel or operations.

CBP said essential travel does not include tourism purposes, such as sightseeing, recreation, gambling or attending cultural events. Cross-border travel for the purpose of purchasing supplies generally is not permissible under the current travel restrictions, unless the traveler seeks to purchase supplies not readily available where they reside in Canada or Mexico.

Cross-border travel for the purpose of visiting family members in the United States generally is not permissible under the current travel restrictions. Limited exceptions may be granted for individuals who serve as caretakers or who are providing transport to a medical appointment. CBP officers make the final determination of whether travelers are admissible to the United States at the port of entry, taking into account the totality of each traveler’s circumstances.