CBP Releases July 2024 Monthly Update

WASHINGTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released operational statistics today for July 2024, which show a significant decline in migrant encounters during the first full month after a Presidential Proclamation issued June 4, 2024, by President Biden to temporarily suspend the entry of certain noncitizens across the southern border. U.S. Border Patrol encounters in July were 32% lower than in June 2024 and were the lowest monthly total along the southwest border since September 2020. July’s total numbers between ports of entry are also lower than July 2019, and lower than the monthly average for all of 2019, the last comparable year prior to the pandemic. CBP monthly reporting can be viewed on CBP’s Stats and Summaries webpage.

“In July, our border security measures enhanced our ability to deliver consequences for illegal entry – leading to the lowest number of encounters along the southwest border in more than three years,” said Troy A. Miller, CBP Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner.  “We are working closely with international partners to go after transnational criminal organizations that traffic in chaos and prioritize profit over human lives, and this month announced enhanced enforcement efforts to attack the fentanyl supply chain. These efforts are seeing results, as CBP saw the largest fentanyl seizure in our agency’s history just a few weeks ago. We remain vigilant in these efforts alongside our partners.”

On June 4, 2024, President Biden announced a Presidential Proclamation to temporarily suspend entry of noncitizens across the southern border. The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General also jointly issued an interim final rule (IFR) that, consistent with the Proclamation, generally restricts asylum eligibility for those who irregularly enter across the southern border – including the southwest land and the southern coastal border. Since June 4, encounters between ports of entry have decreased by 55%. These executive actions have led to a significant increase in the number of migrants removed and returned to their home countries and a decrease in the number of people released pending their removal proceedings as explained in recent DHS Fact Sheets from June and July.

Since the Presidential Proclamation and Interim Final Rule went into effect on June 5, DHS has removed or returned more than 92,000 individuals to more than 130 countries, including by operating more than 300 international repatriation flights. DHS has almost tripled the percentage of noncitizens processed for Expedited Removal, and the percentage of releases pending immigration court proceedings is down nearly half. Total removals and returns over the past year exceed removals and returns in any fiscal year since 2010 and a majority of all southwest border encounters during the past three fiscal years resulted in a removal, return, or expulsion.

Below are key operational statistics for CBP’s primary mission areas in July 2024. View all CBP statistics online.

Ensuring Border Security and Managing Migration

CBP, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), continue to expeditiously process, remove, and strengthen consequences for individuals who cross our borders irregularly. Individuals and families without a legal basis to remain in the U.S. are subject to removal pursuant to Title 8 authorities and are subject to a minimum five-year bar on admission as well as potential prosecution if they subsequently re-enter unlawfully. No one should believe the lies of smugglers. The fact remains: the United States continues to enforce immigration law, and those without a legal basis to remain will be removed. Migrants attempting to enter without authorization are subject to removal under Title 8 authorities.

In July, the Border Patrol recorded 56,408 encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border. This is the lowest monthly total since September 2020. The Border Patrol’s encounters in July were 32% lower than in June 2024. Total southwest border irregular encounters in July, including individuals who presented at ports of entry without a CBP One appointment, were 61,325, a 30% decrease from June 2024. From June to July, the total number of individuals encountered along the southwest border between ports of entry and at ports of entry without a CBP appointment decreased across all demographics: encounters of unaccompanied children decreased 15%, single adult encounters decreased 27%, and family unit individual encounters decreased by 24%.  

The United States is working together with our domestic and foreign partners to jointly disrupt irregular migration across our borders and monitor emerging threats, including public safety concerns posed by transnational criminal organizations. We continue to conduct thorough screening and vetting for any individual that we encounter at our borders to identify individuals posing threats to public safety and national security.

The Presidential Proclamation and IFR have enhanced DHS’s capacity for enforcement against individuals who pose a public safety or national security threat, such as gang members attempting to enter the country unlawfully or without authorization, because the IFR renders those individuals ineligible for asylum and enables their quick removal. DHS has also returned more Border Patrol agents to the field to undertake front line border security operations, enhancing DHS efforts to interdict individuals who pose a threat to public safety. These efforts continue to expand and maximize DHS enforcement against individuals who pose a threat to our communities.

 Along with law enforcement partners worldwide, DHS is constantly monitoring new and emerging threats, including the threat posed by criminal organizations that could present a concern to public safety. The Department conducts thorough screening and vetting for any individual that we encounter on the southern border who could be affiliated with these organizations. To identify individuals of concern, DHS uses a range of resources and information, including information shared by partners worldwide, to inform screening and vetting and to target such individuals attempting to come to United States. DHS works tirelessly to expand access to additional foreign records systems through new international agreements. DHS has also implemented enhanced screening measures at the border to identify known or suspected gang members, including members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Individuals confirmed to be gang members are referred for criminal prosecution and detention pending their removal from the United States.

CBP continues to offer safe, orderly, and lawful pathways for intending migrants and, with our international partners, we are taking actions against ruthless smugglers who continue to spread falsehoods and show disregard for the safety and well-being of migrants. Our message for anyone who is thinking of entering the United States unlawfully along the southern border is simple: don’t do it. When migrants cross the border unlawfully, they put their lives in peril. The terrain along the border is extreme, the summer heat is severe, and the miles of desert migrants must hike after crossing the border in many areas are often deadly. People who made the dangerous journey into this territory have died of dehydration, starvation, and heat stroke. Smuggling organizations abandon migrants in remote and dangerous areas.

The U.S. Border Patrol has undertaken significant efforts in recent years to expand capacity to aid and rescue individuals in distress. To prevent the loss of life, CBP initiated a Missing Migrant Program in 2017 that locates noncitizens reported missing, rescues individuals in distress, and reunifies decedents’ remains with their families in the border region. In July, the U.S. Border Patrol conducted 412 rescues, bringing the FY 2024 total to 4,480 rescues.

View more migration statistics and rescues statistics.  

CBP One™ App

The CBP One™ mobile application is a key scheduling tool and part of DHS’s efforts to incentivize noncitizens to use lawful, safe, humane, and orderly pathways and processes. Noncitizens who cross between the ports of entry or who present themselves at a port of entry without making a CBP One™ appointment are generally subject to the interim final rule that, consistent with the Presidential Proclamation, restricts asylum eligibility for those who irregularly enter across the southwest land and the southern coastal borders.  DHS encourages migrants to utilize lawful processes, rather than taking the dangerous journey to cross unlawfully between the ports of entry, which also carries significant consequences under the United States immigration laws.

Migrants located in northern and central Mexico continue to be able to schedule appointments to present themselves at eight ports of entry along the southwest border. Additionally, migrants will soon be able to also schedule appointments from the states of Tabasco and Chiapas—enabling them to make appointments without having to travel all the way north to do so. Mexican nationals will also soon be able to request and schedule an appointment from anywhere within Mexico. We consistently engage with our partners in the Government of Mexico and work together to adjust policies and practices in response to the latest migration trends and security needs.   

Use of the CBP One™ app to schedule appointments at ports of entry has increased CBP’s capacity to process migrants in a more efficient and orderly manner while cutting out unscrupulous smugglers who endanger and profit from vulnerable migrants. The suspension and limitation on entry and interim final rule does not apply to noncitizens who use the CBP One^TM mobile app to enter the United States at a port of entry in a safe and orderly manner to avail themselves to lawful processes.

In July, CBP processed over 38,000 individuals with appointments at ports of entry utilizing advanced information submitted through CBP One™. Since the appointment scheduling function in CBP One™ was introduced in January 2023 through the end of July 2024, more than 765,000 individuals have successfully scheduled appointments to present at ports of entry instead of risking their lives in the hands of smugglers. The top nationalities processed subsequent to arrival for their appointment are Venezuelan, Cuban, Mexican and Haitian.

A percentage of daily available appointments are allocated to the earliest registered CBP One™ profiles, so noncitizens who have been trying to obtain appointments for the longest time are prioritized. CBP is continually monitoring and evaluating the application to ensure its functionality and guard against bad actors.

CHNV Parole Processes

On January 5, 2023, DHS announced processes providing certain Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans who have a supporter in the United States, undergo and clear robust security vetting and background checks, meet other eligibility criteria authorization to travel to the United States in a safe, orderly, and lawful way once they purchase their own commercial airline tickets.

Through the end of July 2024, over 520,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans arrived lawfully on commercial flights and were granted parole under these processes. Specifically, 110,000 Cubans, 211,000 Haitians, 95,000 Nicaraguans, and 118,000 Venezuelans were vetted and authorized for travel; and 109,000 Cubans, 205,000 Haitians, 90,000 Nicaraguans, and 115,000 Venezuelans arrived lawfully and were granted parole.

Out of an abundance of caution, DHS temporarily paused the issuance of advanced travel authorizations for new CHNV beneficiaries while it undertakes a review of supporter applications. DHS is working to restart application processing as quickly as possible, with appropriate safeguards.

All CHNV beneficiaries are thoroughly screened and vetted prior to their arrival to the United States. The multi-layered screening and vetting for advanced travel authorizations is separate from the screening of U.S.-based supporters. DHS has not identified issues of concern relating to the screening and vetting of beneficiaries.

Safeguarding Communities by Interdicting Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs

As the largest law enforcement agency in the United States, CBP is uniquely positioned to detect, identify, and seize illicit drugs before they enter our communities. CBP’s combination of interdiction and intelligence capabilities, complemented by its border search authorities, scientific services, non-intrusive inspection equipment, and canine detection teams, places it at the forefront of the U.S. government’s efforts to combat illicit fentanyl and other dangerous drugs.

In July, CBP announced the expansion of Operation Plaza Spike to the El Paso and Juarez region as well as a new counter-fentanyl surge operation — called Apollo X — to bring the full force of CBP across the southwest border, from El Paso to San Diego. Operation Plaza Spike targets the cartels that facilitate the flow of deadly fentanyl, as well as its analogs, precursors, and tools to make the drugs. The operation is designed to disrupt operations in the “plazas,” cartel territories located directly south of the United States that are natural logistical chokepoints within the cartels’ operations. Apollo X is a new southwest border-wide surge operation that is bringing the full suite of resources and personnel from across CBP to bear. CBP will use actionable intelligence to not only find and seize fentanyl, but also uncover the supply chains to determine where the contraband is coming from and where it’s headed. This information is shared with CBP’s government partners in an effort to find and stop the networks of transnational criminal organizations by prioritizing the strategic disruption of their supply chains as discussed in a recent National Security Memorandum.

CBP officers at the Port of Lukeville recently seized approximately four million blue fentanyl pills – weighing more than 1,000 pounds – in the largest singular fentanyl seizure in CBP history. On July 1, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen arrived at the port driving a pick-up truck that was hauling a sport recreational vehicle on a utility trailer. CBP officers noticed anomalies throughout the frame of the trailer while conducting a thorough inspection. This led to the discovery of 234 packages of drugs concealed within the frame of a trailer. To date in FY 2024 through the end of July, CBP has seized over 17,900 pounds of fentanyl. CBP has caught more fentanyl nationwide between the start of fiscal year 2023 through July 31, 2024, than in the previous five fiscal years combined, and we continue to optimize our intelligence and field operations to stop these deadly substances from reaching American communities. 

Additional CBP drug seizure statistics can be found on the Drug Seizure Statistics webpage.

Facilitating Lawful Trade and Travel

With a very busy summer travel season still ongoing, CBP encourages travelers to utilize mobile applications with technological enhancements to help speed up the travel process when entering the United States via air, land, or sea. Global Entry, for example, launched a new mobile app in September 2023 that allows members to complete their entry processing on their phones before even leaving the plane. The app can be downloaded from the Apple App store and Google Play, and is currently available for use at 47 airports, with more locations coming soon.

International travelers who are not Global Entry members can take advantage of the Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app, which allows travelers to submit their passport and travel information in advance with a mobile device, resulting in less congestion and more efficient processing. MPC is available at 51 ports of entry, including 14 Preclearance locations and four seaports. It can be used by all U.S. citizens, U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents, B1/B2 Canadian citizens, and returning Visa Waiver Program travelers. Non-U.S. citizens planning travel into the U.S. also have the option of using the Electronic System for Travel Authorization mobile app or the CBP One mobile app.

The number of travelers arriving by air into the United States increased 6% from July 2023 to July 2024; pedestrians arriving by land at ports of entry increased 6% over the same period; commercial trucks processed at ports of entry increased 5%; and passenger vehicles processed at ports of entry remained unchanged.

CBP works diligently with the trade community and port operators to ensure that merchandise is cleared as efficiently as possible and to strengthen international supply chains and improve border security. In July 2024, CBP processed more than 2.9 million entry summaries valued at more than $297.3 billion, identifying estimated duties of nearly $7.8 billion to be collected by the U.S. government. In July, trade via the ocean environment accounted for 42.57% of the total import value, followed by air, truck, and rail.

View more travel statistics, and trade statistics.

Protecting Consumers, Eradicating Forced Labor from Supply Chains, and Promoting Economic Security  

CBP continues to lead U.S. government efforts to eliminate goods from the supply chain made with forced labor from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. In July, CBP stopped 408 shipments valued at more than $70 million for further examination based on the suspected use of forced labor.

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

Consumers are encouraged to be alert to the dangers of counterfeit goods especially when shopping online as they support criminal activity, hurt American businesses, and often have materials or ingredients that can pose serious health and safety risks. Every year CBP seizes millions of counterfeit products worth billions of dollars had they been genuine. In July, CBP seized 2,230 shipments that contained counterfeit goods valued at more than $1.2 billion. More information about CBP’s intellectual property rights enforcement is available.

Criminal groups are exploiting the explosive growth of e-commerce to sell not only counterfeit goods but also other illicit products and drugs, including fentanyl, through online platforms. CBP is working with DHS to move our 21st Century Customs Framework statutory package through an interagency review process. At the same time, we are working with Department of Treasury to ensure that CBP’s de minimis regulatory package enters interagency review. CBP needs to continue to modernize and enhance our facilities and tools to help our officers quickly and accurately determine which of the nearly 4 million daily de minimis packages need to be examined.

CBP completed 34 audits in July that identified $355.6 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 $2 million of this identified revenue and from previous fiscal years’ assignments. 

View more UFLPA enforcement statistics, and intellectual property rights enforcement statistics.

Defending our Nation’s Agricultural System  

Through targeting, detection, and interception, CBP agriculture specialists work to prevent threats from entering the United States.

CBP issued 6,218 emergency action notifications for restricted and prohibited plant and animal products entering the United States in July 2024. CBP conducted 115,709 positive passenger inspections and issued 764 civil penalties and/or violations to the traveling public for failing to declare prohibited agriculture items. 

View more agricultural enforcement statistics.