Migrant Apprehensions at Border Jump 34 Percent from April to May

The apprehension of migrants by Border Patrol agents jumped 34 percent from April to May. The sharp increase comes after a year’s worth of steady declines following a peak in May 2019.

Border Patrol agents apprehended 21,475 illegal immigrants in May after they crossed the U.S.-Mexico Border. This is an increase from the record low numbers reported for April — 16,039 — according to the May Southwest Border Migration Report published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Friday afternoon.

The surge of migrants, particularly family units from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador peaked in May 2019 when Border Patrol agents apprehended 132,856. The apprehensions in May 2020 represent a decrease of 84 percent from the same month in 2019, the reports indicate.

Despite the Title 42 Coronavirus protection protocols put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that returns most apprehended migrants to Mexico after a medical screening and criminal background check, the apprehension of migrants illegally entering the U.S. from Mexico jumped in May. The largest increase came in the category of Single Adults which jumped by nearly 5,000.

Compared to May 2019, the apprehension of Family Unit Aliens fell from a high of 84,496 to 972 in May 2020 — a decrease of nearly 99 percent. The apprehension of Unaccompanied Alien Children also fell from a high in May 2019 (11,475) to this May’s 959 — a nearly 92 percent decrease.

The Rio Grande Valley Sector continues to have the largest number of crossings with 3,635 apprehensions. This is followed closely by the Laredo Sector (3,352), San Diego (3,297), and Tuscon (3,065). The Del Rio Sector had the largest number of Family Unit Alien apprehensions (216) and Tucson had the largest number of Unaccompanied Alien Children apprehensions (192).

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.