Migrant encounters up 71% at border in March

Unaccompanied children numbers have doubled

WASHINGTON – The number of migrant encounters at the United States’ southern border increased 71% since February, new numbers show, as the Biden administration grapples with how to handle the thousands of people, many of them unaccompanied children, seeking to enter the U.S. along the Mexico border.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered more than 172,000 people trying to enter the U.S. along the southwest border in March – up from the 100,441 in February, according to Biden administration officials’ analysis of the numbers, which were released Thursday.

The agency also encountered 18,890 unaccompanied children from Central America, double the number of children encountered in February; 9,297 unaccompanied or single minors were encountered in February.

An increasing number of migrants have been making their way to the border for months as the White House has struggled to house them and find them family or sponsors. Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike have called the situation at the border a “crisis” and criticized President Joe Biden’s handling of it.

“Nobody should have the expectation this is going to be solved overnight,” an administration official told reporters Wednesday when discussing the latest apprehension statistics.

In March, 103,900 people were expelled by the agency under Title 42, which allows Customs and Border Protection to expel undocumented migrants to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in holding facilities. Administration officials said that number represented 60% of total encounters for March, and 28% of the migrants were previously expelled under Title 42.

Under Title 42, migrants are expelled to Mexico but a portion attempt to cross back into the United States despite the policy and are again expelled.

Although many migrants are being turned away, the Biden administration has said it would accept children because it would be too dangerous to turn them away. Some families were being accepted into the United States because Mexico is not accepting some families with young children.

Administration officials said some families are being processed because some areas of Mexico, specifically the state of Tamaulipas that borders Texas, has limited capacity to take families with children under 6. In addition, an administration official said the agreement to expel migrants into Mexico covers only migrants coming from the Northern Triangle, including El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, so migrants from other countries cannot be expelled into Mexico, although they can still be expelled under Title 42.

Because of the increased number of migrant children, Customs and Border Protection’s jaillike facilities have become overcrowded. The Biden administration has opened new Department of Health and Human Services facilities to help move the children out of custody quickly while they vet family or sponsors, a process that could take weeks.

There were 17,345 families expelled under Title 42, the data said. But 35,559 family units were processed under Title 8, meaning they violated immigration law by entering the country between ports of entry but can make a credible fear claim to gain asylum.

Of the migrants who were apprehended at the border, only 4,136 came across through ports of entry, while 168,195 were apprehended by Border Patrol between the ports of entry.

Preliminary numbers of the apprehensions were first reported by The Washington Post.

Biden has appointed Vice President Kamala Harris to focus on stemming migration from Central America.