CBP Releases January 2023 Monthly Operational Update

WASHINGTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection released operational statistics today for January 2023, which can be viewed online.

“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,” said CBP Acting Commissioner Troy Miller. “Those trends have continued into February, with average encounters of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans plummeting.”

CBP Southwest Border Enforcement Numbers for January 2023

U.S. Border Patrol encounters of individuals who entered the country between Ports of Entry at the southwest border in January 2023 totaled 128,410, down 42% from 221,675 in December 2022. This is the lowest month of Border Patrol encounters since February 2021 when encounters began to increase after the most severe impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration. 

CBP total encounters in January 2023 were 156,274, down nearly 40% from 251,978 in December 2022. This total includes Border Patrol encounters and noncitizens processed at Ports of Entry including individuals who sought an exception to Title 42 based on certain vulnerabilities and scheduled an appointment to present in advance via the CBP One Application. 

• Over two-thirds (69.5%) of all southwest land border encounters were single adults, with 108,573 encounters in January, a 33% decrease compared to December.
• 64,499 encounters, 41.3% of the total, were processed for expulsion under Title 42. 91,775 encounters were processed under Title 8.
  • 57,589 encounters involving single adults (53% of all single adult encounters) were processed for expulsion under Title 42, with 50,984 processed under Title 8 (47% of all single adult encounters).
  • 6,779 encounters involving family unit individuals (17.8% of all family unit individuals) were processed for expulsion under Title 42, with 31,308 processed under Title 8 (82.2% of all family unit individuals).
• In January 2023 there were 39,680 (25%) repeat encounters and 115,226 (74%) unique encounters. The number of unique individuals encountered in January 2023 was 115,226 compared to 216,429 in December 2022, a 47% decrease in the number of unique individuals encountered the prior month.
• Of those, 25% involved individuals who had at least one prior encounter in the previous 12 months, compared to an average one-year re-encounter rate of 14% for FY2014-2019.

Unaccompanied Children

• Encounters of unaccompanied children decreased 23.5 percent, with 9,393 encounters in January compared with 12,283 in December. In January, the average number of unaccompanied children in CBP custody was 334 per day, compared with an average of 570 per day in December.

Family Unit individuals

• Encounters of family unit individuals decreased by 50.1% from 77,155 in December to 38,087 in January—which is a 56.5% decrease from the peak of 87,461 in August 2021.

The significant decrease in Border Patrol encounters, well beyond that which is expected based on seasonal trends, is indicative of the success of the measures announced by the Administration on January 5, 2023 expanding safe and orderly lawful processes for migration while applying consequences to those who do not avail themselves of those processes. 

During January, 11,637 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (including immediate family members where applicable) were paroled into the country by Office of Field Operations through the parole processes established for Venezuelans in October and expanded to the additional nationalities in January. Arrivals of noncitizens via these processes, which include careful vetting and require a supporter present in the Unites States, are a testament to the benefit of these lawful processes in promoting safe and orderly migration while reducing encounters along the Southwest Border.  

Encounters of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans between ports of entry at the southwest border declined from a 7-day average of 1,231 on the day of the announcement on January 5th, to 59 on January 31—a drop of 95 percent in just over three weeks. Those trends have endured so far through the month of February.  The reduction occurred even as encounters of other noncitizens began to rebound from their typical seasonal drop.

Unique Southwest Border Encounters by Select Citizenships

Note: Unique encounters include persons not previously encountered in the prior 12 months.
Source: Office of Immigration Statistics analysis of CBP data.

• Over two-thirds (69.5%) of all southwest land border encounters were single adults, with 108,573 encounters in January, a 33% decrease compared to December.
• 64,499 encounters, 41.3% of the total, were processed for expulsion under Title 42. 91,775 encounters were processed under Title 8.
  • 57,589 encounters involving single adults (53% of all single adult encounters) were processed for expulsion under Title 42, with 50,984 processed under Title 8 (47% of all single adult encounters).
  • 6,779 encounters involving family unit individuals (17.8% of all family unit individuals) were processed for expulsion under Title 42, with 31,308 processed under Title 8 (82.2% of all family unit individuals).

Unaccompanied Children

• Encounters of unaccompanied children decreased 23.5%, with 9,393 encounters in January compared with 12,283 in December. In January, the average number of unaccompanied children in CBP custody was 334 per day, compared with an average of 570 per day in December.

Family Unit individuals

• Encounters of family unit individuals decreased by 50.1% from 77,155 in December to 38,087 in January—which is a 56.5% decrease from the peak of 87,461 in August 2021.

CBP One App

In January, CBP processed 21,661 individuals at POEs as exceptions to Title 42 based on an individual vulnerability assessment. This includes 9,902 individuals between January 18 and 31 who scheduled an appointment to present at a POE using the newly available functionality in the CBP One mobile application. While the high demand for these appointments has meant that not all individuals seeking appointments have yet been able to schedule them (individuals commonly waited more than three months in shelters to be considered under the Title 42 exception process before the use of CBP One), the transition of the exceptions process to CBP One allows more open access and has provided immediate benefits in reducing the exploitation of vulnerable persons seeking to present at POEs. Over 20,000 individuals have scheduled an appointment via CBP One and the top nationalities who have done so are Venezuelan and Haitian.

CBP Nationwide Total Encounters for FY23TD through January: 1,072,400

• In January 2023 there were 41,068 (20%) repeat encounters and 125,811 (60%) unique encounters. The number of unique individuals encountered in January 2023 was 125,811 compared to 226,079 in December 2022, a 44% decrease in the number of unique individuals encountered the prior month.
• Of those, 20% involved individuals who had at least one prior encounter in the previous 12 months, compared to an average one-year re-encounter rate of 12% for FY2014-2019.

Ongoing Migration Management Efforts

CBP continues to enforce U.S. immigration law and public health authority and apply consequences to those without a legal basis to remain in the United States. Current restrictions at the U.S. border have not changed; single adults and families encountered at the Southwest border will continue to be expelled, where appropriate, under the CDC’s Title 42 public health Order. Once the Title 42 public health order is no longer in place, CBP will process all individuals encountered at the border using its longstanding Title 8 authorities.

Under Title 8, those who attempt to enter the United States without authorization, and who are unable to establish a legal basis to remain in the United States will be quickly removed.  Individuals who have been removed under Title 8 are also subject to additional long-term consequences beyond removal from the United States, including bars to future immigration benefits.

DHS has been executing a comprehensive and deliberate strategy to secure our borders and build a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system. The strategy is based on six pillars: surging resources; increasing efficiency to reduce strain on the border; employing an aggressive consequence regime; bolstering the capacity of NGOs and partner with state and local partners; going after cartels and smugglers; and working with our regional partners. This comprehensive plan leverages a whole-of-government approach to prepare for and manage the current and anticipated increases in encounters of noncitizens at our Southwest border.

International Travel and Trade

One of CBP’s core mission objectives is to enhance the nation’s economic prosperity, including through the facilitation of lawful trade and travel. CBP continues to protect America’s national and economic security by facilitating legitimate trade while rigorously enforcing U.S. customs laws and regulations.

Since travel restrictions were eased on November 8, 2021 CBP has processed increased numbers of arriving travelers without any significant delays. The rules allow noncitizen, non-lawful permanent resident travelers seek to enter the United States for non-essential travel via land ports of entry and ferry terminals, provided they are fully vaccinated and have appropriate documentation. The guidelines also allow most non-immigrants (non-U.S. citizens and other covered persons) who are fully vaccinated to travel by air to the United States, regardless of the reason for travel.

CBP tracks traveler numbers and wait times and continuously adjusts as needed to make the travel experience more efficient. Travelers can plan by doing the following:

• Have a valid Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative document, such as a passport, Trusted Traveler Program card, or Enhanced Tribal Card.
• Possess proof of an approved COVID-19 vaccination as outlined on the CDC website. 
• Verbally attest to their travel intent and COVID-19 vaccination status.
• Be prepared to present any documents requested by the CBP officer.

Trade Stats/Seizures – Protecting the American Consumer

CBP works diligently with the trade community and port operators to ensure that merchandise is cleared as efficiently as possible. CBP works with the trade community to strengthen international supply chains and improve border security. There are several programs by which CBP works with importers, carriers, consolidators, licensed customs brokers, and manufacturers to advance information about the shipments and expedite the inspection process at the ports of entry. CBP is available to conduct exams and is ready and willing to expand hours of operations if necessary to meet the growing demand for imported goods.

In January 2023 alone, CBP processed more than 2.6 million entry summaries valued at more than $265 billion, identifying estimated duties of nearly $7.3 billion to be collected by the U.S. government. In January, trade via the ocean environment accounted for more than 44.15 percent of the total import value, followed by air, truck, and rail.

In January 2023, CBP identified 282 shipments valued at more than $69 million for further examination based on the suspected use of forced labor, and which may be subject to a Withhold Release Order, Forced Labor Finding, or the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act’s rebuttable presumption, and prohibited importation into the United States under 19 U.S.C. § 1307.

Intellectual property rights violations continue to put America’s innovation economy at risk. Trade in counterfeit and pirated goods threaten the competitiveness of U.S. businesses, the livelihoods of American workers, and the health and safety of consumers.

In January 2023, CBP seized 1,514 shipments that contained counterfeit goods valued at more than $186 million.

CBP completed 27 audits that identified $7.7 million in duties and fees owed to the U.S. government, stemming from goods that had been improperly declared in accordance with U.S. trade laws and customs regulations.  CBP collected over $7 million of this identified revenue and from previous fiscal years’ assignments. 

Drug Seizures

CBP officers, Border Patrol agents, and Air and Marine Operations agents continue to interdict the flow of illicit narcotics across the border. Nationwide, drug seizures (Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Heroin, Fentanyl, and Marijuana) by weight decreased 8.9% in January compared to December. Seizures by weight were as follows:

• Cocaine seizures decreased 49.5%  
• Methamphetamine decreased 4.1% 
• Heroin seizures decreased 66.4% 
• Fentanyl seizures decreased 77%  

Additional CBP drug seizure statistics can be found at www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/drug-seizure-statistics.

Agriculture Stats/Seizures – Securing American Agriculture

In January 2023, CBP agriculture specialists helped protect America’s agriculture, natural resources, and economic prosperity.

• CBP issued 5,547 emergency action notifications for restricted and prohibited plant and animal products entering the United States.
• CBP conducted 98,064 positive passenger inspections and issued 1,001 civil penalties and/or violations to the traveling public for failing to declare prohibited agriculture items.