1 Million Migrants Apprehended in Texas-Based Border Sectors Since Biden Inauguration

Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 1 million migrants who illegally crossed into the five Texas-based sectors during the 10 full months since President Joe Biden’s Inauguration. This represents an average of more than 100,000 migrant apprehensions per month and an increase of nearly 375 percent over the same period in 2020.

Since February 1, the first full month of the Biden administration, Border Patrol agents apprehended 1.05 million migrants in the five Texas-based border sectors. During the same 10-month period one year earlier, agents apprehended only 221,232 migrants in the same sectors, according to reports obtained from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. These numbers do not include the hundreds of thousands of migrant “got-aways” during the past fiscal year as reported by Breitbart Texas.

Responding to the nearly 375 percent increase in migrant apprehensions in the Texas-based Border Patrol sectors since Biden took office, Governor Greg Abbott began Operation Lone Star earlier this year. In May, the Texas governor declared the Texas border counties to be in a state of disaster due to the migrant surge. The following month, Abbott announced the State of Texas would build its own border wall and begin arresting migrants on state crimes they commit after crossing the border.

“The influx across the border is out of control, and the Biden Administration has shown that is not going to step up and do its job,” Governor Abbott told Breitbart Texas in an exclusive interview shortly before the public announcement of the planned border wall on June 10. “And amidst reports of even more people coming in across the border, we know we have to step up and do more.”

Migrant apprehensions in the Lone Star State peaked one month later when migrants apprehended nearly 134,000 migrants. Abbott continued to deploy more Texas National Guardsmen and Department of Public Safety troopers to facilitate the arrests of migrants violating state law. By September, when the State of Texas began construction of border barriers, migrant apprehension in the Texas-based sectors dropped by 14 percent to 115,144 apprehensions.

Following increasing arrests of migrants by Texas law enforcement officials, apprehensions fell to just over 94,000 migrants — a decrease from the peak of nearly 30 percent, CBP reports show.

In September, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 9 providing an additional $1.8 billion in state funds for border security. These include funds to construct the State’s border wall project.

Of the 1,049,144 migrants in the Texas-based border sectors during the Biden-era, 573,167 (55 percent) took place in the Rio Grande Valley Sector — the nation’s busiest border sector.

Governor Abbott traveled to the Rio Grande Valley Sector over the weekend to announce yet another step in the State’s increasing efforts to step up and secure the Texas border with Mexico. Abbott revealed the beginning of construction of a first-ever state-funded border wall, Breitbart Texas reported.

“The State of Texas has taken comprehensive action to secure our southern border and address the border crisis while President Biden has sat idly by,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a border wall unveiling ceremony on Saturday. “In June, I promised Texans that we would step up in the federal government’s absence and build our own border wall.”

“We have wasted no time in the six months since that promise was made, and I am proud to announce that construction of the Texas border wall is now underway,” the Texas governor added. “Today not only represents the first phase of the Texas border wall, but it also serves as a major milestone in our efforts to combat illegal immigration, stop the smuggling of drugs and people, and keep our communities safe.”