CBP Reports 212,672 Migrant Encounters in July, Reaching 21-Year High

Customs and Border Protection apprehended 212,672 migrants at the southwestern border in July, the agency said Thursday, a 12% increase from 188,000 encounters in June. Only 154,288 encounters were unique, however, with 27% involving migrants previously encountered in the last year. Many of the migrants were expelled, CBP said: “The vast majority of single adults and many families continue to be expelled under the CDC’s Title 42 authority, and those who cannot be expelled under Title 42 and do not have a legal basis to remain are placed in expedited removal proceedings.” While visiting the border, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the situation there was “one of the toughest challenges we face” and that it was “complicated, changing and involves vulnerable people at a time of a global pandemic.”

Several headlines from across the spectrum, mostly from center- and right-rated outlets, highlighted that July's border encounters marked a 21-year monthly high. Coverage in some right-rated outlets referred to the large number of migrants as “grim.” Related coverage in some outlets, particularly but not exclusively on the right, focused on concerns of COVID-19 spread and recent overcrowding at migrant facilities.