El Paso Border Sector to ‘Meet or Exceed’ Apprehension Numbers from 2019 ‘Migrant Crisis,’ Says CBP

Border Patrol officials in the El Paso Sector report the apprehension of migrants is on pace to meet or exceed the number of apprehensions during the “Migrant Crisis” of FY2019. The announcement comes amid a surge of migrant apprehensions currently up 288 percent over the same period last year.

“U.S. Border Patrol Agents working in the El Paso Sector continue to encounter increased numbers of migrants in the month of June and throughout the year,” sector officials said in a State of El Paso Sector report Saturday. “Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) total migrant encounters are 135,326, which is up 288 percent from the same time frame FY20. The El Paso Sector is on pace to meet or exceed the record numbers from the ‘Migrant Crisis’ in FY19.”

Sector officials report most of the migrants as being from Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. More than three-quarters of the apprehended migrants are single adults “attempting to evade arrest and NOT seek asylum” [emphasis original].

Officials report the apprehension of 15,877 unaccompanied minors — up more then 300 percent from the entire Fiscal Year 2020 total of 4,835. The 15,241 migrant family apprehensions so far this year also surpassed last year’s total of 10,555.

“Due to the historic pace of encounters in FY21, agents have been involved in 245 rescues, 20 migrant deaths, and 36 El Paso Sector Border Patrol Agents have been assaulted,” the report concludes.

“Our El Paso Sector agents continue to disrupt the operations and smuggling attempts of the Transnational Criminal Organization in our region” El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez said in the report. “I am extremely proud of the men and women of the El Paso Sector who continuously display professionalism, commitment, and resilience while executing our very important National Security mission.”