Migrant Encounters Rise at Southern U.S. Border

Congress remains in turmoil as Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is facing a second impeachment Tuesday after a failed one last week. House Republicans have been accusing Mayorkas of lenient management the Southern U.S. border, where record numbers of migrant encounters have been recorded. Mayorkas has called the system "broken" and has called on Congress to come up with fixes.

A border deal proposed in the U.S. Senate meanwhile has quickly fallen through, dragging into jeopardy a new funding plan for Ukraine wartime aid that had been tied to it as well as more funds for Israel, Gaza, Asian allies and more. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, had worked with Republican Senate leaders on the plan, but it was still voted down Wednesday last week in the chamber despite Republicans having demanded that the situation at the Southern border be addressed at the same time as aid to foreign allies.

The past couple of fiscal years have seen new record numbers of migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border, counting both migrants apprehended and those asking to enter legally but deemed inadmissible. Their numbers rose to almost 2.5 million in FY 2023 and stood at 785,000 three months into the new fiscal year, which would constitute another record if extrapolated.

While in 2019, Non-Mexicans outnumbered Mexicans 4:1 at the Southern border, this trend has subsided in the years since with levels of around 2:1 most recently, records from Customs and Border Protection show.

Because a majority of people seeking to enter the United States recently have come from Central and South America and more have been applying for asylum, the Trump administration in 2019 overhauled its application process, making many asylum seekers wait in camps on the Mexican side without assistance. The Biden administration tried to end the policy around 1,5 years into its term, in mid-2022, but was ensnared in legal battles. Remain in Mexico was implemented after another system overhaul – the separation of families in U.S. custody and the tendency to release fewer immigration detainees on bail – had caused chaotic scenes at detention centers and an international outcry during Trump's time in office.