Statistics Show Lowest Southwest Border Encounters Since February 2021
WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) today released operational statistics for June 2023, which show a significant and continuing decline in migrant encounters along the Southwest border as well as successful drug interdiction efforts resulting from new enforcement initiatives. CBP’s total encounters along the Southwest border in June were the lowest in over two years, dropping nearly a third from May.
“Our sustained efforts to enforce consequences under our longstanding Title 8 authorities, combined with expanding access to lawful pathways and processes, have driven the number of migrant encounters along the Southwest border to their lowest levels in more than two years. We will remain vigilant,” said Troy A. Miller, CBP Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner. “As our June statistics show, CBP’s mission is vast, and thanks to the dedication of our personnel and Federal partners, we are delivering results that keep the American people safe: ensuring border security, seizing drugs, stopping the flow of illicit weapons, rescuing people in distress, facilitating lawful travel and trade, and stopping the entry of harmful agricultural pests.”
Below are key operational statistics for CBP’s primary mission areas in June 2023. View all CBP statistics online.
Ensuring Border Security and Effectively Managing Migration
CBP is processing all migrants under Title 8 immigration authorities, and generally placing individuals who cross the border unlawfully into Expedited Removal or Section 240 Removal Proceedings. Noncitizens who cross between the ports of entry or who present at a port of entry without making a CBP OneTM appointment, are subject to the lawful pathways rule, which places a condition on asylum eligibility for those who fail to use lawful processes, with certain exceptions.
In June – the first full month since the lifting of the Title 42 public health Order – the U.S. Border Patrol recorded 99,545 encounters between ports of entry along the Southwest border: a 42% decrease from May 2023. Total Southwest border encounters in June, including individuals who presented at ports of entry with or without a CBP OneTM appointment, were 144,607, a 30% decrease from May 2023. These are the lowest monthly Southwest border encounter numbers since February 2021.
Safeguarding Communities by Interdicting Dangerous Drugs
CBP continues to interdict the flow of illicit narcotics across the border. CBP has significantly increased non-intrusive inspection scanning capabilities and forward operating labs to swiftly identify suspected drugs and recognize trends. CBP has found packages of narcotics in roofs, floorboards, door panels, bumpers, tires, gas tanks, car batteries, seats, speaker boxes, false floors, drones, and more.
Nationwide in June, seizures of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana (combined, by weight) increased 7% from May. To date in FY 2023, CBP has seized more than 22,000 pounds of fentanyl – compared with 8,300 pounds over the same period in FY 2022.
To disrupt supply chains used in the development and movement of fentanyl, CBP launched two new interagency operations in June: Operations Artemis and Rolling Wave. A parallel intelligence and analysis operation, Operation Argus, is providing trade-focused analysis. These efforts build on the success of Operations Blue Lotus and Four Horsemen, which seized nearly 10,000 pounds of fentanyl.
Operation Artemis began on June 5 and has made over 130 seizures, which include:
- 21 pill presses and 54 pill molds
- More than 5,000 pounds of precursor chemicals
- More than 300 pounds of methamphetamine
- And over 5,000 pounds of other drugs
The U.S. Border Patrol is concurrently running Operation Rolling Wave, surging inbound inspections at Southwest border checkpoints. This operation has seized:
- More than 1,500 pounds of fentanyl
- More than 1,000 pounds of cocaine
- More than 8,000 pounds of marijuana
- More than 6,500 pounds of methamphetamine
Under Operation Blue Lotus 2.0, which launched on June 12, CBP and HSI have also continued to surge resources to ports of entry, where 90% of fentanyl is trafficked primarily in cars and trucks. This operation has seized over 1,500 pounds of fentanyl and over 23,000 pounds of other narcotics like cocaine, methamphetamines, and heroin.
View more on Drug Seizure Statistics.
Facilitating Lawful Trade and Travel and Promoting Economic Security
To improve the traveler experience while maintaining the highest levels of security, CBP has increased the deployment of technology that provides a more seamless and faster entry into the United States by air, land, and sea. In June, CBP announced the deployment a new Electronic System for Travel Authorization mobile application. CBP continues to improve the travel experience and reduce wait times while enforcing over 400 laws for 40 other agencies and stopping thousands of violators of U.S. law.
Travel volumes continue to rebound globally from pandemic lows. Travelers arriving by air into the United States increased 20% from June 2022 to June 2023, and pedestrians arriving by land at ports of entry increased 12% over the same period. Passenger vehicles processed at ports of entry increased 11% and commercial trucks increased 2% from June 2022 to June 2023.
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 June 2023, CBP processed more than 3.1 million entry summaries valued at more than $278 billion. CBP identified an estimated $7 billion of duties to be collected by the U.S. government. In June, trade via the ocean environment accounted for 39.5% of the total import value, followed by air, truck, and rail.
View more travel statistics, and trade statistics.
CBP OneTM App
The CBP OneTM mobile application remains a key component of DHS efforts to incentivize migrants to use lawful and orderly processes and disincentivize attempts at crossing between ports of entry. In June, more than 38,000 individuals who scheduled appointments through the CBP OneTM app were processed at a point of entry.
Since the appointment scheduling function in CBP OneTM was introduced in January through the end of June, more than 170,000 individuals have successfully scheduled appointments to present at a port of entry using CBP OneTM. The top nationalities who have scheduled appointments are Haitian, Mexican, and Venezuelan. Beginning on July 1, CBP announced the expansion of available appointments for noncitizens through the CBP OneTM app from 1,250 to 1,450 per day.
Protecting Consumers and Eradicating Forced Labor from Supply Chains
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 the year after the agency began implementing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act on June 21, 2022, CBP has reviewed a total of nearly 4,300 shipments valued at nearly $1.4 billion. In June 2023, CBP stopped 405 shipments valued at more than $239 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. 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 June, CBP seized 1,709 shipments that contained counterfeit goods valued at more than $120 million.
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.
In June 2023, CBP issued 5,400 emergency action notifications for restricted and prohibited plant and animal products entering the United States. CBP conducted 97,101 positive passenger inspections and issued 678 civil penalties and/or violations to the traveling public for failing to declare prohibited agriculture items.
View more agricultural enforcement statistics.