U.S. arrests along Mexico border surpass 2 million in a year for the first time
, putting authorities on pace to tally more than 2.3 million arrests during the government’s 2022 fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. The total, which includes some people apprehended more than once, far exceeds last year’s record of more than 1.7 million arrests.
“Failing communist regimes in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba are driving a new wave of migration across the Western Hemisphere, including the recent increase in encounters at the southwest U.S. border,” Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus, said in a statement. “Those fleeing repressive regimes pose significant challenges for processing and removal,” he said, using the official term for deportations.
Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shipped a planeload of Venezuelans to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, transporting them to a wealthy island enclave with limited services for migrants.Biden administration officials also say the high border numbers are distorted by repeat crossing attempts by migrants who have been previously arrested. Last month, 22 percent of those taken into custody had a prior arrest in the previous 12 months, the latest figures show.