The large number of expulsions during the pandemic has contributed to a larger than usual number of migrants making multiple border crossing attempts, which means total encounters somewhat overstate the number of unique individuals arriving at the border. 

The number of unique encounters in August was 156,641.

In total, there were 208,887 encounters along the Southwest Border, a 2% drop compared to July. Of those, 25% involved individuals who had at least one prior encounter in the previous 12 months, compared to an average one year re-encounter rate of 14% for fiscal years 2014-2019.

Nearly half of encounters were single adults, with 103,129 encounters in August, a 7% decrease compared to July.

A total of 1,002,722 unique individuals were encountered year-to-date during fiscal year 2021, compared to 851,513 during the same time period in 2019.

In July, CBP began a repeat offender initiative, under which single adults who were previously apprehended and deported under Title 8 were referred for prosecution.

As part of U.S. mitigation efforts in response to the rise in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant, the Department of Homeland Security has begun to transport individuals expelled under Title 42 by plane to the Mexican interior.

Certain individuals not able to be expelled under Title 42 are placed in expedited removal proceedings. Expedited removal provides an accelerated procedure to remove individuals who do not have a basis under U.S. law to be here. So far in fiscal year 2021, U.S. Border Patrol agents have placed nearly 72,000 migrants in expedited removal proceedings.

Encounters of unaccompanied children decreased 1 percent, with 18,847 encounters in August compared with 18,958 in July. In August, the average number of unaccompanied children in CBP custody was 1,435 per day, compared with an average of 1,353 per day in July.

Family unit individuals increased by 4%, from 83,493 in July to 86,487 in August, still below the peak of 88,587 encounters in May 2019.  The number of encounters with family unit individuals so far this fiscal year remains below the number of encounters at the same point in 2019.

As part of Operation Allies Refuge, CBP deployed over 190 personnel among the approximately 400 DHS professionals deployed to Bahrain, Germany, Kuwait, Italy, Qatar, Spain, and UAE. CBP personnel worked in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, and Department of State to process, screen, and vet Afghans who have worked for and on behalf of the U.S. and for other vulnerable Afghans. These deployments did not affect CBP operations on the Southwest border.

The federal continues to work around the clock to conduct screening and vetting of vulnerable Afghans prior to their arrival in the U.S., consistent with the dual goals of protecting national security and providing protection for vulnerable Afghans.

One of CBP’s core objectives is to enhance the nation’s economic prosperity, including through the facilitation of lawful trade and travel. CBP continues to protect America’s national and economic security by facilitating legitimate trade while rigorously enforcing U.S. customs laws and regulations. While CBP’s trade and travel numbers have not entirely returned to pre-pandemic levels, they have increased significantly in recent months.

One of the most important ways that CBP is transforming international travel is through the use of facial biometrics. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has a Congressional mandate to biometrically record all foreign nationals who enter and exit the U.S. Years of testing have demonstrated that implementing biometric facial comparison technology through public-private partnerships is the most secure, efficient, and cost-effective way to fulfill the Congressional mandate while protecting the privacy of all travelers.
To date, more than 96 million travelers have participated in the biometric facial comparison process at air, land, and seaports of entry. Since September 2018, CBP has leveraged facial biometrics to prevent more than 900 imposters from illegally entering the U.S.