CBP: Migrant encounters between ports of entry declined by 42% in January

Illegal immigration dropped 42% in January compared to December. According to new numbers from CBP, Border Patrol agents encountered 128,410 migrants in between official ports of entry compared to 221,675 the month before.

Breaking it down by demographic, 108,573 were single adults, 38,087 were family units, and 9,393 were unaccompanied children. As per deportation proceedings, 64,499 immigrants were processed under Title 42, while 91,775 were processed under Title 8. 

Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller attributed the decrease to President Biden’s immigrant parole program that began Jan. 5. Under the program, the United States will welcome 30,000 individuals per month to live and work in the United States for two years. If they try to cross illegally, they will not be eligible for the new legal pathway. The program applies to people from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti.

“The January monthly operational update clearly illustrates that new border enforcement measures are working, with the lowest level of Border Patrol encounters between Ports of Entry since February of 2021,” Miller said in a statement. “Those trends have continued into February, with average encounters of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans plummeting.”

In a Fox News interview, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, D, said she blames the federal government for the immigration crisis. 

“This is an issue that the can has been kicked down the road for decades by both parties in Washington,” Hobbs said. “Solving our immigration crisis could help with the economy, help with inflation. We need real solutions.”

Gov. Hobbs also explained why she is expanding an Arizona scholarship program for low income students to provide support and in-state tuition for “Dreamers,” or people whose parents brought them into the United States illegally as children. 

“We’re talking about many students who probably came when they were infants, before they had any control over the decision. And who went to Arizona schools their whole life. This is the only country that they know,” Hobbs said. 

In the November midterm elections, Arizona voters approved a ballot measure to allow all students, regardless of immigration status, to receive financial aid and in-state tuition.