REPORT: Migrant Apprehensions at Border in 2019 Hit 12-Year High

The apprehension of migrants who illegally cross the border between ports of entry hit a 12-year high during Fiscal Year 2019, a report published over the weekend reveals. Unofficial numbers show the apprehension of more than 850,000 migrants during the just-ended fiscal year.

Border Patrol agents apprehended a total of slightly more than 851,000 migrants who illegally crossed the border between ports of entry, according to an article published by the Washington Examiner. The report appears to contain unofficial information regarding the apprehension of approximately 40,000 migrants in September, the final month of Fiscal Year 2019.

Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection would not confirm the September numbers published by the Washington DC-based newspaper. “We have not released our September numbers yet,” a CBP official told Breitbart Texas.

If the reported September numbers are accurate, this would bring the total apprehension of migrants illegally entering the U.S. and being apprehended by Border Patrol agents to more than 851,000, the highest number since 2007.

The reported apprehension of 40,000 migrants in September 2019 is slightly lower than the approximately 41,000 in September 2018 and slightly more than the nearly 40,000 in September 2016. Both of these previous Septembers represent high-water marks for the past five years.

The Washington Examiner did not report how many of the 40,000 were family units or unaccompanied minors. Year-to-date apprehensions of family units through August 31, 2019, show the apprehension of more than 457,000 family units — with one month to go. The total apprehension of family units in all of Fiscal Year 2018 was just slightly over 107,000, according to Border Patrol reports.

Border Patrol statistics on family unit apprehensions only go back to 2013 when there were 14,855 total family unit apprehensions. Prior to Fiscal Year 2018, there had never been more than 100,000 migrant family apprehensions reported in a single year.

The numbers reported in this article only account for apprehensions along the nine southwest Border Patrol sectors. They do not include northern border crossings or apprehensions at ports of entry.

Official year-end numbers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials are expected to be released in the next few weeks.