More than 170,000 illegal aliens were encountered after unlawfully crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in May, according to the latest numbers released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Nationwide, border agents encountered more than 241,000 illegal aliens last month. While the Biden administration might attempt to spin May’s numbers as a victory by pointing out a decrease from previous all-time records, the reality remains clear: the situation is an unmitigated disaster fostered and perpetuated by the current administration’s policies.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) highlighted the ongoing crisis, stating, “May’s numbers show that President Biden and impeached Secretary Mayorkas’ border crisis is never going to end as long as they are in charge.” Green noted that the current Border Patrol apprehensions at the Southwest border are roughly four times what Obama-era DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson considered overwhelming. This stark comparison underscores the severity of the situation and the Biden administration’s failure to address it effectively.
While the southern border crisis garners much attention, Green emphasized that illegal alien encounters at the northern border also set a new record for May, with 18,664 encounters — just shy of the all-time northern border record set last August. This increase further demonstrates the widespread impact of the Biden administration’s lenient immigration policies. Green criticized the administration’s use of unlawful policies like the CBP One and CHNV mass-parole schemes, which attempt to obscure the true consequences of open-border policies by encouraging inadmissible aliens to present themselves at ports of entry rather than crossing between them.
Green pointed out the flawed optics of these policies, stating, “Encouraging inadmissible aliens to show up at the ports of entry instead of between them might be better optics for the Biden administration, but the outcome is the same — hundreds of thousands being processed and released into our country at unprecedented rates.” He also highlighted the serious security risks, noting that CBP is being directed to release individuals into communities, only to later discover missed terrorist connections in the vetting process. Community resources are stretched beyond their limits, and Biden’s latest executive orders are doing nothing to stem the tide.
With the border crisis and its consequences looming large for voters ahead of November, RNC Chairman Michael Whatley declared, “Biden’s open border policies have allowed drugs to pour into our cities and innocent Americans to be raped and murdered. Unlike Joe Biden, who has unleashed an invasion of illegal immigrants into the United States, President Trump will seal the border and put Americans first on day one.” For more context that the White House will likely ignore, this May’s number of illegal alien encounters is 185 percent higher than the average May during the Trump administration. Former Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf noted that last month was the third-highest May on record for illegal alien encounters, with the worst two Mays also occurring under Biden’s watch. Compared to the first year of Biden’s term in May 2021, the May 2024 number represents a staggering 368 percent increase.
The message is clear: the current administration’s policies have failed to secure our borders and protect American citizens. The need for strong, decisive action is more urgent than ever, and conservative leaders are committed to reversing these dangerous trends and restoring order at our borders. The American people deserve a government that prioritizes their safety and security, not one that allows unchecked immigration and the chaos that follows.
