Rising Border Encounters and Security Risks: Analyzing U.S. Border Policy and Safety Concerns

Rising Border Encounters and Public Safety Issues

As of August 2024, encounters with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have reached nearly 159,000 nationwide, with over 107,000 of those at the Southwest border alone. This marks an increase of more than three percent compared to July’s figures for the Southwest border, reflecting ongoing challenges in managing border security.

Data from the House Committee on Homeland Security underlines the substantial growth in encounters since February 2021. Over this period, there have been more than 10.3 million encounters nationwide, with the Southwest border accounting for over 8.3 million of these interactions. The continual rise in these figures hints at a systemic issue that has yet to be adequately addressed.

Mass-Parole Programs and Their Implications

Since the inception of the Biden-Harris administration’s mass-parole programs in January 2023, more than 1.3 million inadmissible aliens have gained entry into the U.S. through the CBP One application and the Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan (CHNV) mass-parole initiatives. This policy approach has generated considerable debate, with criticisms aimed at its potential to incentivize illegal border crossings.

Furthermore, there has been a notable uptick in encounters at ports of entry, with over 98,000 documented in August 2024—a more than 185% increase from August 2021. These figures suggest a burgeoning reliance on legitimate access points for entry, possibly fueled by the new policies.

Known Gotaways and Terrorist Watchlist Apprehensions

The issue of known gotaways—individuals who evade U.S. Border Patrol—remains a critical security concern. Since the start of FY21, approximately two million individuals have successfully evaded capture, raising significant alarm over the integrity of the U.S. border control mechanisms.

Adding to these concerns, 388 illegal aliens on the terrorist watchlist have been apprehended between ports of entry at the Southwest and northern borders since FY21. Such apprehensions underscore the severe national security risks posed by inadequate border management and control.

Public Safety, Drug Seizures, and Criticism of Policies

The House Committee on Homeland Security’s report also sheds light on public safety concerns. Instances of criminal activity by individuals who were caught and then released into the U.S. include horrifying cases involving members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and those charged with serious felonies such as rape and murder.

Moreover, in FY23, CBP, including Air and Marine Operations, seized a staggering 27,293 pounds of fentanyl at the Southwest border—an amount sufficient to kill more than 6 billion people. This highlights the critical role of effective border security in combating the drug crisis plaguing the nation.

The House Committee continues to criticize the administration’s policies, describing them as a mass-parole shell game that incentivizes crossings at ports of entry rather than between them. They argue that the current administration has failed to enforce longstanding U.S. immigration laws adequately, resulting in the complex and troubling situation observed today.