House Republicans demand DHS release September border numbers

House Republicans have demanded that the Department of Homeland Security release the September and Fiscal Year 2022 figures on migrant encounters at the southern border.

Republican Reps. Jim Jordan, Ohio, and Tom McClintock, Calif., in a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus, highlighted estimates that put the total encounters in the millions. CBP announced in September that the number of illegal migrant encounters had surpassed 2 million for the first time in a single fiscal year.

"We write to ask why you have not yet published the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data about illegal alien encounters on the southwest border for September 2022 and the entire Fiscal Year 2022," the pair wrote.

"We understand that the Biden Administration may hope to keep the official number of illegal alien encounters along the southwest border a secret from the American public for as long as possible for obvious political reasons," they continued. "However, the American people deserve transparency, not political games."

The Republicans went on to address the previous administration's routine presentation of that information to members of Congress and contrast it with the Biden's less frequent updates.

"During the Trump Administration, CBP released border apprehension statistics to Members of Congress on a weekly basis," they said. "The Biden CBP has been providing border apprehension data to Congress on a monthly basis."

"As of today, however, the Biden Administration has not released its September 2022 data. This delay is unacceptable," the pair asserted.

The United States has been wrestling with an unprecedented surge in illegal migration amid the Biden administration's permission immigration and border enforcement policies. Mayorkas has particularly drawn criticism for what some Republicans have termed "gross dereliction of duty." Many more have openly mulled impeaching him.

President Joe Biden currently holds a mere 36% approval rating on immigration in the RealClearPolitics polling average. A solid majority of 60% disapprove of his handling of the issue.