Illegal immigration hits record high for November at southern border

More than 173,600 illegal immigrants were apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents at the southern border in November – setting a record number for the agency that month.

This is more than five times the number of apprehensions that occurred last November, which saw about 33,500 illegal immigrant encounters. In the past three months, more migrants have crossed the U.S. southern border than in all of fiscal year 2020, which saw about 458,000 apprehensions.

In FY 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered more than 1.73 million illegal migrants. FY 2022 began in October with more than 164,000 apprehensions. Encounters increased by more than 5% in November from the previous month, and The Washington Post reports that this was the largest percent increase in illegal immigration for November in years.  

Compared to pre-pandemic November border crossings during the Donald Trump administration, the average number of apprehensions have increased by 221%, according to Republican National Committee (RNC) data analysis. 

"As Biden and Harris ignore, lie, and deflect blame on the crisis they created, the situation at the border worsens," RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said. "Make no mistake – Biden’s open border policies created this crisis and his administration’s continued lies and encouragement have allowed cartels and criminals to thrive, threatening the safety of our communities."

This number does not include illegal immigrants who avoided apprehension by Border Patrol, also known as "gotaways." According to CBP data obtained by Townhall, the number of "gotaways" skyrocketed after President Joe Biden took office.

It has been nearly nine months since Biden placed Vice President Kamala Harris in charge of the border crisis and almost six months since she has visited the border. 

The CBP's new head, Chris Magnus, was sworn in on Monday. His first all-staff welcome email ommitted any mention of illegal immigration.