U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 232,972 total encounters along the southwest border in August.
The data includes 181,059 encounters with illegal border crossers reported between ports of entry along the Southwest border by Border Patrol agents.
Official data excludes at least 28,355 gotaways reported by Border Patrol agents in preliminary data obtained by The Center Square earlier this month.
Including the gotaway number, total illegal border crossers apprehended or reported evading capture last month was at least 261,327. This is the greatest number reported in August in U.S. history, according to CBP data on record.
Troy Miller, a senior CBP official performing the duties of the CBP commissioner, said the agency’s “operational tempo along the border has increased in response to increased encounters, and we remain squarely focused on our broader security mission and enforcing U.S. immigration laws. We are maximizing consequences against those without a legal basis to remain in the United States, including by processing more individuals into expedited removal than ever before. The men and women of CBP continue to work, day in and day out, to protect our nation, disrupting the entry of dangerous people and dangerous goods into the country while providing humanitarian care for vulnerable individuals.”
