Exclusive: At least 1.5 million illegal southwest border crossers reported in FY24

(The Center Square) – A minimum of 1,525,210 foreign nationals illegally crossed the Southwest U.S. border in fiscal 2024, according to preliminary data The Center Square exclusively obtained from a Border Patrol agent on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

The data excludes Office of Field Operations data, gotaway data (those who illegally entered and evaded capture), and northern border apprehension data, meaning the overall number is likely much higher.

It also excludes the 1.3 million inadmissables released into the U.S. through two parole programs created by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. More than 12 of the programs were identified as illegal by House Republicans who impeached Mayorkas in February. Dozens of state attorneys general sued to stop them, arguing they violate federal law; federal judges also ruled they are illegal.

In three Democratic-led western border states, Border Patrol agents reported 994,570 illegal border crosser apprehensions compared to 530,640 in Texas for the fiscal year, according to the preliminary data.

Texas accounts for nearly 65% of the U.S.-Mexico border, but apprehensions there accounted for 35% of the total in fiscal 2024, according to the preliminary data. Texas has the greatest number of ports of entry and U.S. Custom and Border Protection sectors.

As Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star border security efforts pushed illegal activity west, New Mexico, Arizona and California reported an influx of illegal border crossers, The Center Square first reported.

In Arizona, Border Patrol agents reported the second greatest number of 515,201 illegal border crossers, with the overwhelming majority in the CBP Tucson Sector of 461,685. The sector is one of the busiest in the country responsible for 262 shared border miles with Mexico. Yuma reported over 53,500, according to the preliminary data.

In California, Border Patrol agents reported 342,348 in two sectors responsible for securing 130 miles of shared land border with Mexico and 114 coastal border miles along the Pacific Ocean. The CBP San Diego Sector reported the overwhelming majority of nearly 322,000; El Centro, over 17,350, according to the data.

In New Mexico, Border Patrol agents working in the CBP El Paso Sector reported 137,021. This sector includes all of New Mexico and two west Texas counties.

Border Patrol agents in New Mexico have seen a rapid increase of apprehensions under the Biden-Harris administration as Texas OLS efforts expanded, including building border barriers along the Texas-New Mexico border for the first time last year, The Center Square first reported.

Illegal entries in New Mexico got so bad that Republican state lawmakers came to Texas to learn how they could replicate Texas’ border security efforts, The Center Square first reported.

In CBP’s five sectors in Texas, El Paso reported the most of 254,870, with more than half in New Mexico. Del Rio reported the next greatest number of 243,105, followed by the Rio Grande Valley’s 134,098, Laredo’s 30,781, and Big Bend’s 4,807, according to the preliminary data.

These numbers are significantly lower than previous years under the Biden-Harris administration but still historically high compared to all previous administrations.

Despite President Joe Biden’s claim of reducing illegal border crossings by 60% between ports of entry, total illegal border crossings skyrocketed to roughly 14 million during his administration when including reported apprehensions, gotaways, at least two parole programs, flights of inadmissibles directly into the country, and the recent preliminary data. Official data is expected to be released later this month for fiscal 2024.

“The Biden-Harris administration is continuously misleading the American people. Between the unlawful CBP One and CHNV mass-parole programs alone, the Biden-Harris administration has released at least 1.3 million otherwise-inadmissible aliens into the interior, with insufficient vetting,” U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., told The Center Square.

“These programs have simply shifted the historic flow of inadmissible aliens to ports of entry to help the Biden-Harris administration hide the crisis in plain sight,” Green, who led the charge to impeach Mayorkas, said. “As the administration continues its unearned victory lap, the American people are still facing the consequences of President Biden and his ‘border czar’ Kamala Harris’ decision to release millions of inadmissible aliens into our communities.”

Former acting CBP chief and former Border Patrol chief Mark Morgan agrees, telling The Center Square that the president last year began “shifting the crisis from in between the ports of entry to the ports of entry themselves,” while at the same time calling the change “a new legal pathway and claiming victory. It’s a perversion and violation of the law. A big lie. One government sponsored shell game.”

The administration has facilitated inadmissibles “to walk through our front door and call it a ‘legal pathway.’ I assure you it’s anything but lawful,” Morgan said.

“The heart of their gamesmanship is that they haven’t stopped the flow of illegal migration at all, but rather they’ve simply diverted it from in-between the ports of entry to the ports of entry themselves. As the administration brags about 60% reduction in the flow of illegal aliens in-between the POEs, what you haven’t heard them mention is they’ve increased the flow at the POEs by 220%.”