DHS Encounters 178,840 Illegal Aliens in December, Record Shattering 2.03 Million in 2021

The Department of Homeland Security recorded a record-shattering 178,840 illegal alien encounters at the border this past December, closing out the 2021 calendar year with an astonishing total of more than 2 million encounters following the Biden Administrations’ willful neglect of the nation’s immigration laws and enforcement.

In addition to the skyrocketing number of illegal aliens encounters, seizures of narcotics like fentanyl are also at an all-time high as aliens continue to take advantage of the weak White House policies to surge across the border even during months with the historically low encounter numbers.

The Washington Times reports that “More than 44% of encounters with illegal aliens in December were with people from beyond Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. A year ago that number was just 11%.”

The Biden Administration’s disastrous policy changes like attempting to end the effective Remain in Mexico program, weakening Title 42, ending programs created to weed out frivolous asylum claims, reviving catch-and-release, and all but abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement have directly created an environment at the border where foreign nationals believe they can make it into the U.S. illegally (and do).

Senator Rob Portman, the ranking Republican on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, stated:

Now is not the time to incentivize unlawful migration by continuing their failed policies. I call on the Biden administration to implement a plan to curb the influx of unlawful migrants and illicit narcotics so our communities in Ohio and across the country can be safe and secure.

Chris Magnus, the Biden Administration’s new commissioner at CBP, attempted to positively spin the devastating new numbers by focusing on the department’s work intercepting the record-breaking amount of illicit drugs and counterfeit goods also crossing the border. But, not surprisingly, Magnus gave little mention to the hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens crossing the border every month under President Biden.

December’s ghastly totals were driven predominantly by Single Alien Adults as CBP recorded encountering just 11,743 unaccompanied alien minors – the lowest total since February. Additionally, unaccompanied alien minors combined with alien family units accounted for just 35% of Border Patrol encounters, according to The Washington Times, well below the total percentage in 2019.

To view the data for yourself, please click here.

For more on the story, please visit The Washington Times.