Nearly 314,000 apprehensions, gotaways at southern border

(The Center Square) – December was another record month for Border Patrol agents tasked with apprehending foreign nationals illegally entering the U.S. through the southwest border.

Agents apprehended at least 226,050 people and reported at least 87,631 who evaded capture by law enforcement last month. Combined, they total at least 313,681 – an increase from November’s record breaking number of 306,069.

This is after a record number of apprehensions and gotaways were recorded in fiscal 2022 of over 3.3 million.

The preliminary U.S. Customs and Border Protection data was obtained by The Center Square from a Border Patrol agent and only includes Border Patrol data, not Office of Field Operations data. The official numbers, which include OFO data, once they’re released will be higher, although CBP doesn’t release the gotaway data publicly.

“Gotaways” is the official term used by CBP to describe foreign nationals who enter the U.S. illegally and don’t surrender at ports of entry but intentionally seek to evade capture from law enforcement.

Unlawful border crossers directly observed making an unlawful entry, who aren’t apprehended and don’t turn back to Mexico, are defined as gotaways, according to 6 USC 223 code, which agents use to categorize unlawful entrants.

In most months, the Del Rio and Rio Grande Valley sectors in Texas experience the most traffic along the southern border. However, over the last several months, anticipating the end of Title 42, larger groups began entering through the El Paso Sector. This includes the entire state of New Mexico and two counties in far west Texas covering 264 miles of international boundary. December was another record month for this sector.

Title 42 is a Trump-era health enforcement policy that allowed border agents to more quickly expel illegal crossers for fear of spreading COVID-19.

The biden administration planned to end Title 42 enforcement in December but was blocked by the courts.

The December numbers are broken down by BP sector and categories. They include apprehensions, turn backs, nonviolations, outstanding, and deceased. The gotaways category refers to those who were detected close to the border and further into the interior of the U.S. The distinction is notable because it shows how many are reported evading capture as they make their way north despite the best efforts of BP agents and local law enforcement attempting to apprehend them.

For example, in the Del Rio Sector of Texas, the 3,130 recorded in the gotaway interior zone would have been identified farther out by law enforcement in the rural counties of Kinney, Edwards, Real and others reporting increased breakins, shootouts and other crimes committed by gotaways, many miles north of the border.

As of Jan. 3, the preliminary data for December by sector includes:

Big Bend Sector Apprehensions - 1,352

Turn backs - 79

Gotaways Border Zone (known/recorded) - 890 Unclassifiable Detection - 0 Gotaways Interior Zone 159

No Violations - 2

Deceased - 0

Outstanding - 10

Del Rio Sector

Apps - 51,497

TBs - 170

Gotaways Border Zone (known/recorded) - 15,509 Unclassifiable Detection - 36 Gotaways Interior Zone 3,130

No Violations - 305 Deceased - 1

Outstanding - 152

El Centro Sector

Apps - 10,863

TBs - 447

Gotaways Border Zone (known/recorded) - 382 Unclassifiable Detection - 7 Gotaways Interior Zone - 9 No Violations - 3