79,678: December Border Encounters With Illegal Migrants Not From Mexico/Northern Triangle Up Tenfold

The number of “encounters” with migrants trying to enter the U.S. illegally at the southwest border, and coming from countries other than Mexico and the Northern Triangle, hit a new record high in December – 79,678 – more than ten times higher than the same month in each of the previous four years.

In December of 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017, the number of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encounters on the southwest border with migrants from all countries except Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador was 7,891, 7,504,...