The number of migrants is predicted to hit a new record high of over 500,000 this coming weekend.
As the power to remove migrants under the Title 42 public health order is anticipated to expire in a few weeks, border officials are witnessing vast numbers of migrants, along with several large groups, at the southern border.
Fox News has learned from sources within Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that the number of migrants for the fiscal year 2023, which began in October, is now over 465,000 and is set to surpass the half-million milestone this weekend. Up to this point, 156,000 people have been expelled using Title 42.
Rapid expulsion of migrants at the border has been made possible by an order issued by the Trump administration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, that order is set to expire on December 21 after a court order ruled that its implementation was unlawful, prompting widespread and bipartisan fears of an even more significant influx of people.
The over half a million contacts since October are higher than the over 517,000 encounters by the end of December in FY 2022 and the little over 216,000 encounters in FY 21 during the same period. There were just a total of 458,058 contacts throughout the whole 2020 fiscal year.
Border Patrol agents are overwhelmed by these numbers, which occur during the generally calmer months at the border. There have been almost 2,100 unlawful border crossings in Del Rio Sector in the past 24 hours.
Fox News was on the scene in Eagle Pass, Texas, when an estimated six hundred and fifty illegal immigrants entered the country. Simultaneously, another 350 individuals crossed the opposite side of town, for a total of 1,000 people who made the journey in under one hour.
Fox News collected footage from the El Paso Sector showing hundreds of people crossing the river into El Paso, where they then lined up and surrendered to police. According to Fox’s sources, over 2,600 illegal crossings have been in the area in the past 24 hours. This is an extremely high figure for December.
The data is going to make people more worried about the demise of Title 42. The Department of Homeland Security has frequently said that it is prepared with a six-point strategy to handle the influx of people it anticipates.
Increases in workforce and funding, as well as the use of non-traditional authorities like expedited removal and criminal penalties for border crossings, are all part of the strategy. The government’s anti-smuggling efforts and its partnerships with nations in the Western Hemisphere have been highlighted.
Several Republicans and Democrats, however, have voiced concerns that the current plan would not be adequate to handle the potentially unprecedented influx of people police officers may have to deal with. Legislators in the Senate have been haggling over a potential agreement on a framework that would provide a path to citizenship for two million illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as minors in exchange for an extension of Title 42 for a year and additional funding for border security in recent days.
Democrats and Republicans alike have spoken out against the plan, and it’s unclear whether legislators will be able to reach an agreement before the Christmas break and the Republican takeover of the House in January.