Illegal border crossings hit new January record, sources say

Migrant encounters fall 42% from December's all-time high

Updated: Feb 3, 2024 / 02:45 PM CST

Migrants are led to a processing area after they crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into the U.S. Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas. According to U.S. officials, a Mexican enforcement surge has contributed to a sharp drop in illegal entries to the U.S. in recent weeks. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — The number of migrant encounters at the Southwest border plummeted 42% from December to January, but it was still a record high to start the calendar year, sources tell NewsNation.

U.S. Border Patrol agents and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers encountered 176,294 migrants in January, compared to a whopping 302,034 in December, an all-time high for one month, according to CBP data. The number of migrant encounters at the Southwest border last January was 157,358.

So far this fiscal year, which started on Oct. 1, 2023, border authorities have encountered 961,716 migrants.

CPB sources also provided NewsNation correspondent Ali Bradley with a breakdown of migrant encounters per Border Patrol sector and the different CBP field offices:

Tucson Sector: 50,583
San Diego Sector: 24,714
El Paso Sector: 17,538
Del Rio Sector: 16,718
Rio Grande Valley Sector: 7,349
Yuma Sector: 3,738
Laredo Sector: 2,198
El Centro Sector: 1,127
Big Bend Sector: 326
Laredo Field Office: 24,851
San Diego Field Office: 15,478
El Paso Field Office: 7,683
Tucson Field Office: 4,041

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says that during the first two weeks of January, migrant encounters were down 50%, adding that the drop is “consistent with historical trends and enhanced enforcement,” and that a crackdown by Mexican authorities also contributed to the decline.