May’s Southern Border Stats Show Apprehensions At 144,278
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the nation’s largest federal law enforcement agency charged with securing the nation’s borders and facilitating international travel and trade. Their top priority is to keep terrorists and their weapons from entering the United States.
At the nation’s more than 300 ports of entry, CBP officers have a complex mission with broad law enforcement authorities tied to screening all foreign visitors, returning American citizens and imported cargo that enters the U.S.
Along the nation’s borders, the United States Border Patrol and Air and Marine Operations are the uniformed law enforcement arms of CBP responsible for securing U.S. borders between ports of entry.
The following is a summary of CBP enforcement actions related to inadmissibles, apprehensions, arrests of individuals with criminal convictions, individuals who have been apprehended multiple times crossing the border illegally, currancy and drug seizures.
Visit CBP’s Southwest Border Migration page for demographic information regarding apprehensions and inadmissibles on the southwest border and the Use of Force page for use-of-force statistics and case summaries.
“We are taking aggressive action to mitigate the crisis, and protect vulnerable people in our custody by expanding medical care, creating temporary facilities, improving transportation, using additional resources from across DHS while seeking continued support from interagency partners throughout the Federal government,” said Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan while recently visiting McAllen Texas.
U.S. Border Patrol Southwest Border Apprehensions FY 2019
U.S. Border Patrol Southwest Border Apprehensions FY 2019
| USBP | Demographic | OCT | NOV | DEC | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Border | Unaccompanied Alien Child | 4,966 | 5,259 | 4,753 | 5,107 | 6,818 | 8,968 | 8,900 | 11,507 | 56,278 | ||||
| Family Units* | 23,116 | 25,164 | 27,507 | 24,189 | 36,531 | 53,208 | 58,724 | 84,542 | 332,981 | |||||
| Single Adult | 22,926 | 21,433 | 18,488 | 18,684 | 23,535 | 30,664 | 31,680 | 36,838 | 204,248 | |||||
| Southwest Border Total Apprehensions | 51,008 | 51,856 | 50,748 | 47,980 | 66,884 | 92,840 | 99,304 | 132,887 | 593,507 | |||||
*Family Unit represents the number of individuals (either a child under 18 years old, parent, or legal guardian) apprehended with a family member by the U.S. Border Patrol.
In May, 132,887 people were apprehended between ports of entry on the Southwest Border, compared with 99,304 in the month of April and 92,840 in March. In FY18, a total of 396,579 individuals were apprehended between ports of entry on our Southwest Border.
For breakdown by Sector, visit USBP Southwest Border Apprehensions by Sector
Office of Field Operations Southwest Border Inadmissibles FY 2019
| Field Operations | Demographic | OCT | NOV | DEC | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Border | Unaccompanied Alien Child | 453 | 404 | 350 | 408 | 426 | 424 | 385 | 386 | 3,236 | ||||
| Family Units* | 4,178 | 4,986 | 4,382 | 4,213 | 4,210 | 4,214 | 3,633 | 4,134 | 33,950 | |||||
| Single Adults | 5,052 | 5,146 | 5,213 | 5,617 | 4,937 | 6,160 | 6,060 | 6,799 | 44,984 | |||||
| Accompanied Minor Child** | 86 | 70 | 81 | 70 | 76 | 91 | 92 | 72 | 638 | |||||
| Southwest Border Total Inadmissibles | 9,769 | 10,606 | 10,026 | 10,308 | 9,649 | 10,889 | 10,170 | 11,391 | 82,808 | |||||
*Family Unit represents the number of individuals (either a child under 18 years old, parent, or legal guardian) deemed inadmissible with a family member by the Office of Field Operations.
**Accompanied Minor Child represents a child accompanied by a parent or legal guardian and the parent or legal guardian is either a U.S. Citizen, Lawful Permanent Resident, or admissible alien, and the child is determined to be inadmissible.
In May, 11,391 people presenting themselves at ports of entry on the Southwest Border were deemed inadmissible, compared with 10,170 in the month of April and 10,889 in March. In FY18, 124,511 people presenting themselves at ports of entry on the Southwest Border were deemed inadmissible.
OFO inadmissibility metrics include: individuals encountered at ports of entry who are seeking lawful admission into the United States but are determined to be inadmissible, individuals presenting themselves to seek humanitarian protection under our laws, and individuals who withdraw an application for admission and return to their countries of origin within a short timeframe.
For breakdown by Field Office, visit Southwest Border Inadmissibles by Field Office.
BY SECTOR: Southwest Border Family Unit Subject, Unaccompanied Alien
Children and Single Adult Apprehensions Fiscal Year 2019 – By Month
| FMUA | UAC | SA | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sector | FY 2019 MAY |
FY 2019 MAY |
FY 2019 MAY |
FY 2019 MAY |
| Big Bend, Texas |
732 | 117 | 706 | 1,555 |
| Del Rio, Texas |
5,272 | 571 | 2,719 | 8,562 |
| El Centro | 576 | 239 | 2,670 | 3,485 |
| El Paso, Texas |
29,832 | 3,255 | 5,543 | 38,630 |
| Laredo, Texas |
110 | 266 | 3,736 | 4,112 |
| Rio Grande, Texas |
33,960 | 4,877 | 11,018 | 49,855 |
| San Diego, California |
1,366 | 309 | 4,211 | 5,886 |
| Tucson, Arizona |
1,773 | 511 | 4,593 | 6.877 |
| Yuma, Arizona |
10,921 | 1,362 | 1,642 | 13,925 |
| Southwest Border Total | 84,542 | 11,507 | 36,838 | 132,887 |
U.S. Border Patrol Southwest Border Apprehensions by Sector Fiscal Year 2019
| Unaccompanied Alien Children Apprehensions by Sector | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector | FY18TD MAY | FY19TD MAY | % Change FY18TD MAY to FY19TD MAY |
| Big Bend | 828 | 525 | -37% |
| Del Rio | 862 | 2,279 | 164% |
| El Centro | 1,708 | 2,106 | 23% |
| El Paso | 3,141 | 13,284 | 323% |
| Laredo | 1,929 | 1,860 | -4% |
| Rio Grande | 14,822 | 23,944 | 62% |
| San Diego | 1,488 | 2,664 | 79% |
| Tucson | 3,565 | 3,644 | 2% |
| Yuma | 3,949 | 5,972 | 51% |
| USBP Southwest Border Total | 32,292 | 56,278 | 74% |
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Southwest Border Family Unit* Apprehensions
Comparisons below reflect Fiscal Year To Date 2019 compared to Fiscal Year To Date 2018.
| Family Unit* Apprehensions by Sector | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector | FY18TD MAY | FY19TD MAY | % Change FY18TD MAY to FY19TD MAY |
| Big Bend | 543 | 1,600 | 195% |
| Del Rio | 1,509 | 17,112 | 1,034% |
| El Centro | 1,611 | 7,161 | 345% |
| El Paso | 4,733 | 104,131 | 2,100% |
| Laredo | 361 | 695 | 93% |
| Rio Grande | 36,773 | 135,812 | 269% |
| San Diego | 1,995 | 14,194 | 611% |
| Tucson | 2,806 | 10,051 | 258% |
| Yuma | 8,775 | 42,225 | 381% |
| USBP Southwest Border Total | 59,106 | 332,981 | 463% |
*Note: Family Unit represents the number of individuals (either a child under 18 years old, parent or legal guardian) apprehended with a family member by the U.S. Border Patrol.
Southwest Border Single Adult Apprehensions
Comparisons below reflect Fiscal Year To Date 2019 compared to Fiscal Year To Date 2018.
| Single Adult Apprehensions by Sector | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector | FY18TD MAY | FY19TD MAY | % Change FY18TD MAY to FY19TD MAY |
| Big Bend | 4,713 | 4,371 | -7% |
| Del Rio | 7,766 | 13,233 | 70% |
| El Centro | 15,284 | 16,098 | 5% |
| El Paso | 9,282 | 19,507 | 110% |
| Laredo | 19,625 | 23,655 | 21% |
| Rio Grande | 48,240 | 63,507 | 32% |
| San Diego | 21,859 | 26,297 | 20% |
| Tucson | 29,751 | 31,167 | 5% |
| Yuma | 4,263 | 6,413 | 50% |
| USBP Southwest Border Total | 160,783 | 204,248 | 27% |
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Southwest Border Unaccompanied Alien Children Apprehensions by Country
Numbers below reflect Fiscal Years 2014 – 2018 and 2019 TD.
| Unaccompanied Alien Children Apprehensions by Country | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | FY14 | FY15 | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19TD MAY |
| El Salvador | 16,404 | 9,389 | 17,512 | 9,143 | 4,949 | 8,272 |
| Guatemala | 17,057 | 13,589 | 18,913 | 14,827 | 22,327 | 24,638 |
| Honduras | 18,244 | 5,409 | 10,468 | 7,784 | 10,913 | 14,785 |
| Mexico | 15,634 | 11,012 | 11,926 | 8,877 | 10,136 | 7,013 |
Southwest Border Family Unit* Apprehensions by Country
Numbers below reflect Fiscal Years 2016 – 2018 and 2019 TD
| Family Units* Apprehensions by Country | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19TD MAY |
| El Salvador | 27,114 | 24,122 | 13,669 | 35,412 |
| Guatemala | 23,067 | 24,657 | 50,401 | 149,081 |
| Honduras | 20,226 | 22,366 | 39,439 | 129,186 |
| Mexico | 3,481 | 2,271 | 2,261 | 2,668 |
*Note: Family Unit represents the number of individuals (either a child under 18 years old, parent or legal guardian) apprehended with a family member by the U.S. Border Patrol.
Southwest Border Single Adult Apprehensions by Country
Numbers below reflect Fiscal Years 2016 – 2018 and 2019 TD
| Single Adult Apprehensions by Country | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19TD MAY |
| El Salvador | 27,222 | 16,495 | 12,751 | 14,183 |
| Guatemala | 32,621 | 26,387 | 42,994 | 37,281 |
| Honduras | 22,258 | 17,110 | 26,161 | 31,671 |
| Mexico | 175,353 | 116,790 | 139,860 | 98,798 |
Southwest Border Family Unit Subject, Unaccompanied Alien Children, and Single Adult Apprehensions Fiscal Year 2019 – By Month
Total CBP Enforcement Actions
Numbers below reflect Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 and FY 2018 totals, FY 2019 TD (to date) (October 1, 2018 – May 31, 2019)
| FY17 | FY18 | FY19TD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office of Field Operations (OFO) | |||
| Total Inadmissibles1 | 216,370 | 279,036 | 188,447 |
| U.S. Border Patrol | |||
| Total Apprehensions2 | 310,531 | 404,142 | 598,714 |
| Total Enforcement Actions | 526,901 | 683,178 | 787,161 |
1Inadmissibles refers to individuals encountered at ports of entry who are seeking lawful admission into the United States but are determined to be inadmissible, individuals presenting themselves to seek humanitarian protection under our laws, and individuals who withdraw an application for admission and return to their countries of origin within a short timeframe. 2Apprehensions refers to the physical control or temporary detainment of a person who is not lawfully in the U.S. which may or may not result in an arrest.
Arrests of Individuals with Criminal Convictions or Those Wanted by Law Enforcement
Numbers below reflect FY 2017-2018 totals, FY 2019 TD (to date) (October 1, 2018 – May 31, 2019)
| FY17 | FY18 | FY19TD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| OFFICE OF FIELD OPERATIONS | |||
| Criminal Aliens3 Encountered | 10,596 | 13,788 | 8,194 |
| NCIC4 Arrests | 7,656 | 5,889 | 1,373 |
| U.S. BORDER PATROL | |||
| Criminal Aliens3 Encountered | 8,531 | 6,698 | 3,289 |
| Criminal Aliens with Outstanding Wants or Warrants | 2,675 | 1,550 | 2,858 |
3Criminal Aliens refers to aliens who have been convicted of crime, whether in the United States or abroad, so long as the conviction is for conduct which is deemed criminal by the United States. Criminal aliens encountered at ports of entry are inadmissible, absent extenuating circumstances, and represent a subset of total OFO inadmissibles. U.S. Border Patrol arrests of criminal aliens are a subset of total apprehensions. See U.S. Border Patrol Criminal Alien Statistics for a breakdown of criminal alien stats by type of conviction. 4NCIC (National Crime Information Center) arrests refers to the number of CBP arrests of individuals, including U.S. citizens, who are wanted by other law enforcement agencies.
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Office of Field Operations Nationwide Currency Seizures
Numbers below reflect FY 2015-2018 totals, FY 2019 TD (to date) (October 1, 2018 – May 31, 2019)
| FY15 | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount (USD) | $75,964,824 | $62,101,328 | $65,002,856 | $64,741,939 | $50,367,881 |
Nationwide Monthly Office of Field Operations Currency Seizures
Numbers below reflect FY 2015-2018 totals, FY 2019 TD (to date) (October 1, 2018 – May 31, 2019)
| FY 18 | FY 19 | |
|---|---|---|
| October | $4,190,389 | |
| November | $4,360,341 | |
| December | $4,428,486 | |
| January | $7,825,634 | |
| February | $5,574,578 | |
| March | $5,533,607 | |
| April | $13,732,889 | |
| May | $4,721,957 | |
| June | ||
| July | ||
| August | ||
| September | ||
| Total | $50,367,881 |
U.S. Border Patrol Nationwide Currency Seizures (October 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019)
| FY 15 | FY 16 | FY 17 | FY 18 | FY 19 TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount (USD) | $4,741,288 | $7,924,537 | $5,869,004 | $7,176,142 | $2,959,846 |
Monthly U.S. Border Patrol Nationwide Checkpoint Currency Seizures
Numbers below reflect FY18 to FY 2019 TD (to date) (October 1, 2018 – May 31, 2019)
| FY 18 | FY 19 | |
|---|---|---|
| October | $35,829 | $49,247 |
| November | $26,285 | $51,269 |
| December | $2,822 | $63,697 |
| January | $203,213 | $59,857 |
| February | $117,933 | $103,982 |
| March | $157,669 | $110,924 |
| April | $17,913 | $15,016 |
| May | $256,033 | $129,766 |
| June | $31,494 | |
| July | $14,339 | |
| August | $169,592 | |
| September | $80,358 | |
| Total | $1,113,480 | $583,758 |
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Office of Field Operations Nationwide Drug Seizures
Numbers below reflect FY 2014-2018 totals, FY 2019 TD (to date) (October 1, 2018 – May 31, 2019)
| FY 14 | FY 15 | FY 16 | FY 17 | FY 18 | FY 19 TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cocaine | 45,323 | 38,346 | 52,838 | 62,415 | 51,713 | 38,183 |
| Heroin | 4,356 | 6,023 | 4,224 | 3,398 | 5,205 | 3,129 |
| Marijuana | 438,146 | 602,821 | 516,122 | 366,627 | 300,289 | 159,842 |
| Methamphetamine | 19,613 | 25,495 | 33,086 | 46,247 | 56,362 | 38,895 |
| Fentanyl | n/a | 70 | 596 | 1,875 | 1,785 | 1,703 |
*weights are in pounds (lb)
Monthly Office of Field Operations Nationwide Drug Seizures
(October 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019)
| Cocaine | Heroin | Marijuana | Methamphetamine | Fentanyl | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | 3,156 | 469 | 8,808 | 3,900 | 133 | 17,160 |
| November | 4,128 | 334 | 29,828 | 3,691 | 113 | 9,291 |
| December | 6,703 | 321 | 24,474 | 3,486 | 76 | 8,396 |
| January | 2,407 | 273 | 11,324 | 4,405 | 343 | 13,166 |
| February | 9,215 | 320 | 21,636 | 5,509 | 120 | 15,454 |
| March | 5,872 | 493 | 25,506 | 5,846 | 245 | 8,195 |
| April | 1,413 | 501 | 17,040 | 5,935 | 224 | 14,804 |
| May | 5,287 | 418 | 21,227 | 6,123 | 450 | 12,903 |
*weights are in pounds (lb)
U.S. Border Patrol Nationwide Drug Seizures
(October 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019)
| FY 14 | FY 15 | FY 16 | FY 17 | FY 18 | FY 19 TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cocaine | 4,554 | 11,220 | 5,473 | 9,346 | 6,550 | 9,675 |
| Heroin | 606 | 518 | 566 | 953 | 568 | 411 |
| Marijuana | 1,922,545 | 1,538,307 | 1,294,052 | 861,231 | 461,030 | 186,895 |
| Methamphetamine | 3,930 | 6,443 | 8,224 | 10,328 | 11,314 | 8,719 |
| Fentanyl | n/a | n/a | 105 | 181 | 388 | 144 |
*weights are in pounds (lb)
Monthly U.S. Border Patrol Nationwide Checkpoint Drug Seizures
(October 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019)
| Cocaine | Heroin | Marijuana | Methamphetamine | Fentanyl | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | 121 | 1 | 1,546 | 600 | 0 | 4 |
| November | 48 | 15 | 1,180 | 473 | 15 | 5 |
| December | 140 | 5 | 2,460 | 258 | 0 | 422 |
| January | 259 | 3 | 2,802 | 542 | 16 | 5 |
| February | 197 | 44 | 3,929 | 646 | 20 | 52 |
| March | 87 | 2 | 2,197 | 324 | 1 | 16 |
| April | 368 | 128 | 1,758 | 349 | 19 | 4 |
| May | 133 | 25 | 980 | 2,079 | 0 | 7 |
*weights are in pounds (lb)
U.S. Border Patrol Nationwide Apprehensions by Gang Affiliation
Numbers below reflect FY2015-2018 totals, FY 2019 TD (to date) (October 1, 2018 – May 31, 2019)
| Gang Affiliation | FY15 | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19TD |
| 107th St | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18th Street | 84 | 47 | 61 | 145 | 117 |
| Angelino Heights Sureno 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bandidos | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Barrio Azteca | 6 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Barrio Van Nuys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Border Brothers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Brown Pride | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chirizos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Folk Nation | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hard Times 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hells Angels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Hermanos Pistoleros Latinos (HPL) | 2 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Latin Kings | 16 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 17 |
| Locos Surenos Trece | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Los Traviosos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Los Zetas | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MS-13 | 335 | 253 | 228 | 413 | 319 |
| Mara 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Mara-R | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Market Street | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Maravilla Salva Trucha | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Mexican Mafia | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| Mexicles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mexikanemi | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Nortenos | 14 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Other | 154 | 136 | 90 | 82 | 75 |
| Outlaws | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paisas | 73 | 119 | 53 | 62 | 64 |
| Partido Revolucionario Mexican (PRM) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Playboys | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Surenos (sur-13) | 140 | 90 | 66 | 66 | 56 |
| Tango Blast | 14 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 14 |
| Texas Syndicate | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Vallucos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Vilanos-13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| West Park | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Zetas | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 844 | 702 | 536 | 808 | 685 |
U.S. Border Patrol Recidivism Rates
| FY 14 | FY 15 | FY 16 | FY 17 | FY 18 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recidivism5 | 14% | 14% | 12% | 10% | 11% |
5Recidivism refers to percentage of individuals apprehended more than one time by the Border Patrol within a fiscal year.
