DHS: We Still Have 'Relatively High Number of Encounters' on Border, But We've Had Increasing Surges 'for over Two Decades'

On Monday’s broadcast of NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Border and Immigration Policy Blas Nuñez-Neto stated that while there has been a decline in the number of encounters at the border from the numbers in the days before Title 42 expired, the number of encounters is “still a relatively high number of encounters.” But “you were seeing these surges in migration happening with increasing regularity now for over two decades under presidents of both parties.”

Host Blake Burman asked, “In the days leading up to the end of Title 42, there were, on average, basically, 10,000 people a day for four consecutive days. … Since Title 42 expired, the numbers have been dropping basically to where levels were in January, February, and March. Are you able to define success, sir, in any way, and is…5,000 a day, is that success?”

Nuñez-Neto answered, “I will be frank, by historical standards, that’s still a relatively high number of encounters. Obviously, again, what we’re seeing over the last few years is a fundamental change in migration. But I’ll be honest, you were seeing these surges in migration happening with increasing regularity now for over two decades under presidents of both parties. Presidents from both parties have used executive actions to try to deal with this challenge. We have as well. We believe we are innovatively using our current authorities in order to deal with the challenge. But there’s no lasting solution here that doesn’t involve a bipartisan effort in Congress to reform our hopelessly outdated immigration laws.”

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