In the fiscal year 2021, over 1.7 million immigrants were detained by the U.S. Border Patrol at the Mexico border. This number represents a record high according to the U.S. Customs and Border Patro l. “Illegal crossings skyrocketed in the months after President Biden took office,” according to the Washington Post. It is the highest ever annual total recorded, one which few expected when Biden office. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas predicted earlier this year that the Biden Administration would experience a 20-year high in border crossings and immigrant detention.

President Biden stopped several policies that arose from the immigration crisis, including ending border wall construction. This move alone was seen as a green light to immigrants from poor countries wishing to come to the United States. Biden also suspended the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) — known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy, a move suspected to have encouraged the record surge of immigrants crossing the border, including thousands of unaccompanied minors being placed in custody daily. These numbers reflect the high immigrant detention numbers.

Immigrant Detention By the Numbers

Fiscal year 2021, which began in October 2020 and ended on Sept. 30, 2021, broke records set back in 1986. In 2006, border arrests were over one million, when border patrol apprehended 1,071,972 migrants. FY 2021 saw 1,734,686 apprehensions.
Crossings began to rise about the same time that Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. However, they began to increase even more rapidly since the January inauguration. In the subsequent nine months, there were 1,516,650 migrants arrested along the southern border. The total number of arrests under Biden is also more than three times the average of total FY2012-2020 combined.
During Biden’s presidency, arrests rose to 100,000 per month by February – and have continued to rise without an end in sight. The most apprehensions occurred during July and August, as both months saw more than 200,000 migrants taken into CBP custody at the southern border.
September recorded 192,001 migrant encounters, a 10.1 percent drop from the 12-month high of 213,593 arrests in July. Of those arrested, 59% were single adults.
Of the 192,00 migrants encountered at the border illegally in September, 59 percent of immigrant detention occurrences were single adults.
More than 53 percent of those who arrived at the border crossing were processed for expulsion under Title 42.
the incidence of the arrival of unaccompanied children is on the decline – down 24% from August to September (18,806 in August/ 14,358 in September)
the average number of unaccompanied children in CBP custody in September was 772 per day. The average in August was 1,435 per day .

If you are an immigrant who has been detained and is seeking asylum or entry into the United States, Probinsky & Cole are here to help. We are experienced immigration attorneys who are dedicated to helping you and your family find your home. Don’t attempt to navigate the United States Customs & Immigration Service on your own. Call today to learn more about how representation can help you.