This Issue: Southwest border arrests stay flat, but encounters continue to rise

Fri, Jun. 11^th

Border arrests exceeded 170,000 for the second straight month and overall encounters of inadmissibles increased in May, according to new statistics released by the Department of Homeland Security this week.

Border Patrol agents made 172,011 arrests in May, according to the DHS stats. The number of arrests dropped last month by 1,500, but still hit a 20-year high for the second straight month.

The number of encounters increased for the 10th straight month, crossing 180,000 last month. Encounters include both arrests made by Border Patrol agents of illegal border crossers and foreign nationals who are deemed inadmissible while trying to enter the U.S. at a port of entry.

The number of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) who were apprehended after crossing the border illegally dropped in May. The number of UACs entering illegally is down 25% from the all-time record set back in March.

Single adults are now driving the number of illegal border crossings. More than 117,000 single adults were apprehended in May compared to just 97,000 in March -- the first month that total apprehensions exceeded 100,000.

In March, single adults accounted for 57.4% of all arrests made by Border Patrol agents. That share increased to 68.2% in May.

BIDEN ADMIN CONTINUES TO SEND MIXED MESSAGES

Vice President Kamala Harris visited Guatemala earlier this week and urged migrants not to come to the United States. But last week, the Biden Administration formally ended the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), more commonly known as the "Remain in Mexico" policy. MPP had the single greatest impact in ending the border surge of 2019.

By ending MPP, along with ending safe third-country agreements with Central American nations and restricting most interior enforcement, the Biden Administration, despite what V.P. Harris or other administration officials say, is sending a clear message to the transnational criminal organizations who profit from smuggling individuals into the U.S. that the border is open.

In an interview with Fox News this week, Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei blamed the Biden Administration for the current crisis.

"What they said [in the US] is that they will promote family unification -- so the coyotes took the children and teenagers to the U.S., and the order was full, not only with people from Guatemala."

"[That] is why our proposal is that messages should be clear ... But if you have a lukewarm message, it only creates the opportunity to misinterpret," Giammattei said.

NumbersUSA has been advocating for the Biden Administration to take strong actions to deter illegal immigration and end the border crisis, including:

Restart the Migrant Protection Protocols
Renew safe third-country agreements with Central American countries
Enforce Title 42 (immediate expulsion of illegal border crossers due to the COVID-19 national health emergency) to its fullest extent
Delay the issuance of work permits to asylum seekers to limit fraud
Fully vet UAC sponsors

Chris Chmielenski
NumbersUSA Deputy Director

NY Times: Roy commented on Biden Administration efforts to increase legal immigration:

Most research has shown that legal immigration to the United States has benefits for the country's economy, especially at a time when the country's population growth is slowing. But Mr. [Ken] Cuccinelli and others who favor severe restrictions on immigration say it is obvious to them that letting foreigners compete for jobs -- especially when the country is still recovering from an economic downturn like the one created by the pandemic -- will hurt the prospects for American citizens.

"The number one job for the immigration services is to make sure that immigration does not hurt Americans," said Roy Beck, the founder of NumbersUSA, a group dedicated to far lower levels of legal immigration.

Brietbart: Director of Government Relations Rosemary Jenks commented on reports of recent deaths along the Southern border:

"It was the cartels who put her on the boat," she said. "The only people responsible are the migrants themselves who are knowingly trying to get into the United States illegally, and the smugglers who are helping them."

The best way to reduce the deaths and suffering on the migrants' treks is to persuade the migrant that the trek will fail, she said:

"Send a clear message that the border is closed ... Remove people [illegally in the United States]. Deport them back to their countries. Don't let them come into the United States [to work] for six or seven years while they go through a fake asylum claim. Make them wait in Mexico [until their asylum hearing]."

Farm Bureau Urges Administration to Address Biden

Wed, Jun. 9^th

The American Farm Bureau Federation recently joined all 50 state Farm Bureaus and the Puerto Rico Farm Bureau in sending a letter urging the Biden administration to address the surge of undocumented immigrants entering the United States.

Rep. Chip Roy Sends Letter to 'Border Czar' VP Harris, Providing Real Solutions to Biden Border Crisis

Thu, Jun. 10^th

Texas Rep. Chip Roy recently sent Vice President Kamala Harris a nine-page letter that expressed his, and the American peoples' disappointment in Biden's so-called "Border Czar" not visiting the Southern Border while the border crisis continues to rage at the U.S. Mexico Border.

Biden encourages border surge; actions needed to reverse the surge

Lisa Venus

Mon, Jun. 7^th

The Biden administration's responses have more so encouraged the surge than quelled it. Reversing the surge requires closing the border to most, non-essential traffic during of the COVID-19 pandemic; Title 42, restarting the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP, or "Remain In Mexico" program), which requires asylum seekers to remain in Mexico until their case can be heard by an immigration judge; and other actions.

'Our immigration system, as we knew it, was brought to an abrupt halt'

AMY BOYLAN

Fri, Jun. 4^th

When Covid-19 hit New Zealand, that country's government took decisive action to seal its borders. The New Zealand government is now taking a course to ensure that its immigration policy operates for the benefit of its citizens.

U.S. Supreme Court Rules Illegal Aliens Can Not Get Green-Cards From TPS

Mon, Jun. 7^th

The Supreme Court, through a unanimous decision, has curbed the parameters of Temporary Protected Status, ruling that its temporary protection from deportation does not guarantee a shot at a more permanent stay.