Policy

In November, 2022, the number of encounters reported reached over 200,000 (206,239) according to the latest monthly data available from the U.S. Customs & Border Patrol. The previous peak in recent years was March, 2019 with about 133,000 (132,858). Encounters refer to events, not people. Some people are encountered multiple times, especially if they are dealt with by expulsion – immediate return to the country of origin or the last past country. This method was more often used during the pandemic as holding border crossers became problematic and the number of spaces in facilities waned. Title 42 was a pandemic-era rule that allowed expulsions of migrants to happen more quickly. It expired Dec. 21, 2022.