According to new data derived from the Department of Homeland Security, migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border is at a 21-year high, with close to 200,000 encounters reported in the month of July in 2021.
The DHS data showed the highest monthly total and an astronomical increase since March of 2000, indicating a drastic legal catastrophe of improper or illegal entry and a violation of America’s federal laws.
“Expulsions have become less common – and apprehensions more common – in the first months of President Joe Biden’s administration. In July, 47% of migrant encounters resulted in expulsion, down from 83% in January, when Biden took office. During the same period, the share of migrant encounters that resulted in apprehension rose from 17% to 53%,” a survey by the Pew Research Center found.
The Pew survey also unveiled shifts in the country of origination among migrants unlawfully trespassing through the U.S. border.
“Migrants’ origin countries have also shifted since May 2019, with Mexican nationals accounting for a larger share of encounters and people from the Northern Triangle countries – El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras – representing a smaller share,” a Pew report explains.
“In July, 26% of migrant encounters involved Mexican citizens, up from 13% in May 2019. People from the Northern Triangle countries accounted for 45% of encounters in July, down from 78% in May 2019.”