Migrant Crossings Pass 300,000 for First Time at Southwest Border: Report

A record-breaking number of illegal immigrants crossed the United States-Mexico border last month, passing 300,000 for the first time, as border patrol resources were stretched thin.

Customs and Border Protection sources told Fox News that between Dec. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023, over 302,000 encounters were recorded along the southwest border, mainly in Tucson, Arizona, and Del Rio, Texas.

Those numbers far surpass the previous three Decembers, with just over a quarter-million recorded in 2022.

It was reported in mid-December that at least 10,000 people were crossing the border every day, with CBP leaders closing official entry points so that staff could tackle the surge of migrants passing through gaps cut in the border wall or being smuggled across in cars.

CBP would not confirm the December figures, but a spokesperson told The Messenger that encounters were proving to be a "serious challenge" to officers.

"To meet this challenge, we are using all available resources to ensure the safety and security of our agents and officers, and the migrants who are often misled and victimized by the transnational criminal organizations," Troy A. Miller, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the CBP Commissioner, told The Messenger.

"These smugglers are recklessly putting migrants into harm's way: in remote locations across the border, onto the tops of trains, or into the waters of the Rio Grande.

"We continue to go after the smugglers and are implementing new measures to impose consequences on transportation companies, including bus and van lines used by smuggling organizations and nefarious actors to move migrants through northern Mexico and to our southwest border."

Over the holidays, CBP repeatedly posted to social media to encourage migrants to seek legal routes into the U.S. by making appointments through the CBP One app.

Officials have argued that smugglers are taking advantage of migrants by telling them there are "easy" spots to enter the country and await pickup by patrols who will then process them faster.

However, those who enter illegally face deportation or detention pending a later hearing rather than speedy passage with a visa.

The crisis at the border has created tensions across the country. While some have chosen to welcome the new arrivals, cities such as New York have been overwhelmed by the influx, which started nearly two years ago.

President Biden has come under criticism in recent days for taking a vacation, with Republicans arguing he has ignored his duty to fix the border crisis, and NYC's Democratic Mayor Eric Adams has also called for federal intervention.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas traveled to Mexico last week to meet with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and discuss the ongoing crisis. A Mexican delegation is expected at the White House this month.

"CBP and our federal partners need additional funding from Congress so that we can continue to effectuate consequences for those who do not use the established pathways," Miller added in his statement.