WASHINGTON – Heritage’s homeland security team responded Tuesday to the release of official Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apprehension numbers for the month of April. The border crisis continues, with CBP recording more than 178,000 apprehensions in April. Border Patrol agents apprehended as many as 6,000 illegal aliens in one day during this stretch. In March, CBP apprehended more than 172,000 individuals trying to cross the border and enter the U.S. illegally, giving March and April the highest consecutive monthly total in more than 15 years:
- Lora Ries: “President Biden’s border crisis continues unabated. In just two months, more than 350,000 illegal aliens have been apprehended trying to cross our southern border. CBP officials also estimate more than 185,000 illegal aliens this fiscal year have evaded apprehension entirely and are already in the U.S. These numbers are unacceptable, and they are unsustainable. The crisis is being driven by unaccompanied minors (UACs) and family units, most of whom are being released into the interior and are here to stay, as DHS’ own numbers show. The Biden administration’s goal is obvious for any willing to see it: release historic numbers of illegal aliens into the interior, while undermining law enforcement’s ability to remove them. There is nothing good for America in this.”
- Chad Wolf: “From day one, the Biden administration has pursued policies that have fueled this crisis, despite receiving dozens of briefings during the transition from myself and other professionals at the Department of Homeland Security warning them of the consequences of doing so. The administration has reversed sound immigration policies like the Migrant Protection Protocols, asylum cooperative agreements with Northern Triangle countries, and construction of the border wall system. These actions will continue to have immense costs not just for our law enforcement, but for working Americans and our communities, as well. Until this administration applies a consequence for coming here illegally, these numbers are going to remain at crisis levels. Make no mistake: this is not just a humanitarian crisis on our border – it is a security crisis that is giving drug cartels and human smugglers a historic opportunity to expand their operations in the Western Hemisphere.”
- Mark Morgan: “Ultimately, the Biden administration’s actions speak louder than any half-hearted words from the White House podium. The message is clear—America’s borders are open. If you make it to the border as an unaccompanied minor or as part of a family unit, you will likely be released into the interior. Once that happens, the Biden administration will do nothing to remove you, as the plummeting deportation numbers from ICE make clear. In fact, the Biden administration will push to give you the greatest reward of all—American citizenship via amnesty—in response to your lawbreaking.”
- James Carafano: “As bad as these figures are, Americans also need to look beyond the raw numbers. We have to recognize that the tsunami at the border is overwhelming law enforcement, and that creates opportunities for malicious actors to exploit this vulnerability. Biden's policies have created a 2,000-mile toll booth for the cartels, flooded them with cash, and created an unprecedented explosion in transnational crime. Open borders are fueling the opioid crisis. Open borders have created an unprecedented opportunity for transnational gangs to expand their networks throughout the U.S. and Canada. We have to anticipate that other bad actors from around the world are asking themselves what they can do to take advantage of the opportunity Biden has handed them.”
