Southwest border encounters in July, including those who arrived at ports of entry with or without a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol OneTM appointment, totaled 183,503.
This number is consistent with the preliminary data The Center Square reported on earlier this month, which only included data reported by Border Patrol agents. Official data is always higher because it includes Office of Field Operations data. The preliminary data does not include OFO numbers.
The official data excludes over 27,000 known, recorded gotaways reported last month by Border Patrol agents. Gotaways is the official term used by CBP to describe those who illegally enter between ports of entry and don’t return back to Mexico or Canada. They seek to avoid getting caught, and don’t make asylum or any other immigration=related claims. Many have criminal records, law enforcement officers have found when they’ve been able to apprehend those who’ve gotten away at the border but are caught farther into the interior of Texas, for example.
When including the preliminary gotaway data, total people encountered, apprehended or reported evading capture last month after illegally crossing the southwest border totaled more than 200,000. This includes official CBP data and preliminary data obtained by The Center Square from a Border Patrol agent.
As The Center Square has also previously reported, the Biden administration has shifted movement of people from illegal entry between ports of entry to encouraging them to arrive at ports of entry using the CBP One app. Last month, encounters at ports of entry accounted for 28% of all Southwest Border encounters, nearly three times what it was in July 2022 of 9%.
Since fiscal 2020, apprehensions at ports of entry are up 300%. Office of Field Operations apprehensions are on track to reach a record of more than 1 million this fiscal year alone.
