According to a source within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Border Patrol apprehended more than 200,000 migrants since October 1, 2021, which marked the beginning of Fiscal Year 2022. The source says internal predictions currently show more than 1.8 million migrant arrests for the new fiscal year.
Most arrests, according to the source, take place in the Rio Grande Valley Sector where more than 549,000 apprehensions occurred in FY2021. The source says the Del Rio Sector still occupies the second-place spot and is trailed by the Yuma Sector in Arizona. The average apprehension rate nationwide rests at 5,000 per day.
The source says the situation is unsustainable for the Border Patrol, which saw all-time arrest records broken in FY2021 for the nine southwest sectors. In 2021, the Border Patrol surpassed the total number of apprehensions made in any year along the southwest border since 1924.
According to CBP, 1.7 million migrants were apprehended within the southwest sectors in FY2021. The previous record stood since 2000 when 1.6 million were arrested.
The apprehension numbers, according to the source, are only part of the equation. With the current rate of entries, the Border Patrol is unable to adequately patrol and protect the southwest border. State and local law enforcement agencies have been forced to dedicate more time and resources to what historically have been considered federal duties.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
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