CBP reports record encounters at southern border in December
- Border Patrol and CBP encountered more than 302,000 migrants
- CBP encountered more than 52,000 people, according to unofficial totals
- Previous high was in September with 269,735 encounters
EAGLE PASS, TEXAS – DECEMBER 20: Seen from an aerial view, immigrants walk towards a U.S. Border Patrol transit center after wading through the Rio Grande from Mexico early on December 20, 2023 in Eagle Pass, Texas. A late-year surge of migrants crossing the U.S. southern border has overwhelmed U.S. immigration officials. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
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(NewsNation) — Officials at the nation’s southern border encountered more than 302,000 migrants in December, the highest monthly total on record, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources confirmed to NewsNation.
The previous high was in September 2023, when authorities recorded 269,735 encounters.
Border Patrol encountered more than 249,000 migrants, while CBP encountered more than 52,000 people.
More than 80,000 migrants entered through the Tucson Sector and about 71,000 crossed into the Del Rio Sector. The San Diego Sector was the third-busiest, with more than 34,000 migrant encounters.
The most recent numbers aren’t recorded on the departments’ sites yet, and may not be published until mid-to-late January.
Last month, agents encountered 12,500 people at the southern border — the highest number of encounters on record for a single day, according to CBP.
Around that time, Eagle Pass, Texas, saw record-breaking levels of unauthorized crossings — more than 4,000 in one day.
Surges in migration aren’t limited to Texas. NewsNation partner Border Report noted that more than 90,000 asylum seekers have entered the U.S. through PedWest at the San Ysidro Port of Entry since the CBP One online app program began earlier this year.
NewsNation digital reporter Katie Smith contributed to this report.