The Border Patrol reported making nearly 210,000 apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border in March, making it the most chaotic month on the border so far in President Biden’s tenure.
The numbers were submitted as part of an ongoing court case over border enforcement and the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy, which a court has ordered the Biden team to revive.
According to the document, agents nabbed 209,906 illegal immigrants, and officers at the ports of entry tallied another 11,397 encounters with unauthorized migrants.
The data also shed light on the looming problems Homeland Security expects to face later next month when the Title 42 pandemic border shutdown goes away.
About half of all the illegal immigrants nabbed last month, whether by the Border Patrol operating between border crossings or Customs and Border Protection officers manning the official ports of entry, were immediately ousted under Title 42.
The other illegal immigrants were processed under usual immigration law — with the majority caught and released into communities.
Experts say with the end of Title 42, the number of people caught and released will soar, and that will in turn be seen as an invitation to even more people to make the journey.
As it is, March was the worst month for the Border Patrol since March 2000, when agents apprehended 220,063 illegal immigrants.
