Biden administration sees record levels of migration, deaths, and rescues at the border

Since President Joe Biden assumed office, the United States has seen a record number of migrant crossings, deaths, and rescues along its southern border, according to The Daily Mail.

Data published this month by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shows that the number of border crossings increased significantly in the previous year.

Many of the migrants who attempted to cross had already been intercepted and deported once before in the past 12 months. This year, the migrant reencounter rate increased to 25% from 15%.

The CBP data shows that most of the migrants encountered at the border are coming from Mexico, Central America, Cuba, and Haiti, as well as other Latin American countries. However, others are also arriving from Turkey, India, and Russia.

Most of the migrants were adults; only about one in six encountered at the border came with their families and children under the age of 18.

With more migrants attempting to cross the border, the number of migrant arrests has also increased. Over 2 million migrants have been arrested this year, compared to 1.73 million were arrested at the border last year.

In May, immigration arrests reached the highest levels ever recorded. CBP agents arrested 239,416, a two percent increase from the number reported in April.

Similarly, the number of migrants who have died while attempting to cross the border has more than doubled since last year. In 2021, CBP reported 557 migrant deaths along the border, compared to 254 recorded in 2020 and 300 in 2019.

The number of rescues across the southern border also outpaces the figure for 2021. From October 2021 to May of this year, border agents have conducted 14,278 search-and-rescue missions. During the previous 12-month period, agents conducted 12,833 missions, a figure that had already significantly increased from 5,071 in 2020.

Many border crossing attempts lead to dangerous situations. This week, authorities found 51 dead migrants inside an abandoned truck near San Antonio, Texas, marking the deadliest human trafficking incident in the U.S. since 2003, when 19 migrants died inside an 18-wheeler.

On Monday, Biden called for the prosecution of the “criminal industry” that is trafficking humans across the border and placing them in life-threatening situations.