Texas Border Business
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released operational statistics today for November 2024. CBP monthly reporting can be viewed on CBP’s Stats and Summaries webpage.
“Our enhanced enforcement efforts, combined with executive actions and coordination with Mexico and Central American countries in recent months, are having a sustained, meaningful impact. As a result, CBP’s encounters along the southwest border declined again in November,” said Troy A. Miller, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner. “Every day the men and women of CBP are protecting American communities by targeting and disrupting the smuggling of bad actors and narcotics by transnational criminal organizations.”
CBP Southwest Border Enforcement Numbers for November 2024
Since the June 4 Presidential Proclamation on Securing the Border and accompanying Interim Final Rule, which was finalized Sept. 30 subsequent to an updated Proclamation, went into effect, there has been a continued, meaningful decrease in unlawful border crossings – including a more than 60% decrease in encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border from May to November. November encounters between ports of entry are now at their lowest level since July 2020.
These executive actions have also led to an increase in the percentage of migrants removed from the United States and a decrease in the number of people released pending their removal proceedings. Since the Proclamation took effect on June 5, DHS has doubled the percentage of noncitizens processed for Expedited Removal, and the number of individuals released by the U.S. Border Patrol pending immigration court proceedings is down 70%.
From June 5 through the end of November, DHS removed or returned more than 240,000 individuals to over 160 countries, not including CBP repatriations of noncitizens encountered at airports or the northern border. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO) has operated more than 740 international repatriation flights from June 5 through the end of November.
In fiscal year 2024, DHS completed over 700,000 removals and returns, more than any prior fiscal year since 2010. That includes more removals to countries other than Mexico than in any prior fiscal year. DHS has also reduced the time it takes to remove individuals with final orders of removal who do not establish a legal basis to remain in the United States by more than half from its historical average. Additionally, the estimated number of migrant gotaways – people who crossed the border without encountering CBP – decreased approximately 60% from FY 2023 to FY 2024.
On the northern border, CBP’s expanded enforcement efforts in response to changing migration trends has yielded a reduction in encounters between ports of entry of more than 80% from June to November. Specifically in the Swanton Sector, encounters dropped 85% from June to November.
Below are key operational statistics for CBP’s primary mission areas in November 2024. View all CBP statistics online.
Strengthening Border Security and Managing Migration
CBP, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), continue to expeditiously process, remove, and strengthen consequences for individuals who cross the nation’s borders irregularly.
In November, the U.S. Border Patrol recorded approximately 46,610 encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border. The U.S. Border Patrol’s encounters in November were 18% lower than in October 2024 and 76% lower than in November 2023, continuing the downward trend in encounter numbers since June. Total southwest border irregular encounters in November, including encounters at ports of entry of noncitizens without a CBP One appointment, were 51,190 compared to the 61,420 recorded in October. This included month-to-month decreases of 19% in family units, 18% in single adults, and 2% in unaccompanied children.
The Presidential Proclamation and Final Rule have enhanced DHS’s capacity to deliver swift consequences to individuals who pose a threat to national security or public safety, such as gang members attempting to enter the country unlawfully DHS has also returned more U.S. Border Patrol agents to the field to undertake front line border security operations, enhancing DHS efforts to interdict individuals who pose a threat to public safety or national security. These efforts continue to expand and maximize DHS enforcement against individuals who pose a threat to our communities.
The U.S. Border Patrol has undertaken significant efforts in recent years to expand capacity to aid and rescue individuals in distress. To prevent the loss of life, CBP initiated a Missing Migrant Program in 2017 that locates noncitizens reported missing, rescues individuals in distress, and reunifies decedents’ remains with their families in the border region. In November, the U.S. Border Patrol conducted 349rescues. The U.S. Border Patrol has recorded 772 rescues in Fiscal Year 2025 thorough November.
View more migration statistics and rescues statistics.
CBP One™ App
The CBP One™ mobile application is a key scheduling tool and part of DHS’s efforts to incentivize noncitizens to use lawful, safe, humane, and orderly pathways and processes. Noncitizens who cross between the ports of entry or who present themselves at a port of entry without making a CBP One™ appointment are generally subject to the Securing the Border Final Rule that limits asylum eligibility. DHS encourages migrants to utilize lawful processes, rather than taking the dangerous journey to cross unlawfully between the ports of entry, which also carries significant consequences under the United States immigration laws.
Use of the CBP One™ app to schedule appointments at ports of entry has significantly increased CBP’s capacity to process migrants in a more efficient and orderly manner while cutting out unscrupulous smugglers who endanger and profit from vulnerable migrants. The suspension and limitation on entry and Final Rule does not apply to noncitizens who use the CBP One™ mobile app to enter the United States at a port of entry in a safe and orderly manner to avail themselves to lawful processes.
In November, CBP processed over 43,000 individuals at ports of entry with information submitted in advance through CBP One™. Since the appointment scheduling function in CBP One™ was introduced in January 2023 through the end of November 2024, more than 904,500 individuals have successfully scheduled appointments to present at ports of entry instead of risking their lives in the hands of smugglers. The top nationalities processed with appointments through CBP One™ are Venezuelan, Cuban, and Mexican.
CHNV Parole Processes
DHS continues to process new Advance Travel Authorizations (ATAs) in the parole processes for certain nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV). As part of an internal review, DHS has implemented additional safeguards to the CHNV processes, incorporating rigorous enhanced vetting of US-based supporters, including biographic and biometric screening.
All CHNV beneficiaries continue to be thoroughly screened and vetted by CBP prior to their arrival to the United States and must meet other eligibility criteria for advanced authorization to travel to the United States in a safe, orderly, and lawful way. Noncitizens with advanced authorization to travel purchase their own commercial airline tickets to come to the United States.
Through the end of November, 531,670 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans arrived lawfully and were granted parole under the parole processes. Specifically, 110,970 Cubans, 213,200 Haitians, 96,270 Nicaraguans, and 120,770Venezuelans were vetted and authorized for travel; and 110,240 Cubans, 211,040 Haitians, 93,080 Nicaraguans, and 117,320 Venezuelans arrived and were granted parole.
Since DHS has implemented these safe, orderly and lawful processes, encounters of CHNV nationals in between ports of entry are down 98%.
Safeguarding Communities by Interdicting Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs
As the largest law enforcement agency in the United States, CBP is uniquely positioned to detect, identify, and seize illicit drugs like fentanyl before they enter our communities. CBP’s combination of interdiction and intelligence capabilities, complemented by its border search authorities, scientific services, non-intrusive inspection equipment, and canine detection teams, places it at the forefront of the U.S. government’s efforts to combat illicit fentanyl and other dangerous drugs.
CBP surged its enforcement efforts this year to further increase efforts to disrupt and dismantle the transnational criminal organizations that smuggle fentanyl, dangerous drugs, and other contraband with no regard for human life. There have been significant results from these operations. In the last two fiscal years, CBP seized record amounts of fentanyl – nearly 50,000 pounds – enough to produce more than 2 billion lethal doses.
In November 2024, CBP seized 1,314 pounds of fentanyl. Nationwide in November, seizures of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana (combined, by weight) increased 3.6% from October.
Among other seizures in November, CBP officers at the Laredo port of entry seized more than 400 pounds of methamphetamine valued at $3.7 million at the World Trade Bridge on Nov. 25 during a secondary examination that included the use of canines and CBP’s non-intrusive inspection technology. Officers discovered 66packages of methamphetamine inside a tractor trailer hauling crushed marble stone.
Additional CBP drug seizure statistics can be found on the Drug Seizure Statistics webpage.
Facilitating Lawful Trade and Travel
CBP encourages travelers to utilize mobile applications with technological enhancements to help speed up the travel process when entering the United States via air, land, or sea. Global Entry, for example, launched a new mobile app last year that allows members to complete their entry processing on their phones before even leaving the plane. The app can be downloaded from the Apple App store and Google Play, and is currently available for use at 47 airports, with more locations coming soon. International travelers who are not Global Entry members can take advantage of the Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app, which allows travelers to submit their passport and travel information in advance with a mobile device, resulting in less congestion and more efficient processing.
These innovative improvements reflect CBP’s commitment to facilitating lawful trade and travel and contributing to the country’s economic growth. As a result of these efforts, the number of pedestrians arriving by land at ports of entry increased 3.7% from November 2023 to November 2024. The number of travelers arriving by air into the United States increased 2.7% over the same period. Passenger vehicles processed at ports of entry increased 2.7%.
CBP works diligently with the trade community and port operators to ensure that merchandise is cleared as efficiently as possible and to strengthen international supply chains and improve border security. In November 2024, CBP processed more than 2.8 million entry summaries valued at more than $283 billion, identifying estimated duties of nearly $6.97 billion to be collected by the U.S. government. In November, trade via the ocean environment accounted for 41% of the total import value, followed by air, truck, and rail.
View more travel statistics, and trade statistics.
Protecting Consumers and Eradicating Forced Labor from Supply Chains
CBP continues to lead U.S. government efforts to eliminate goods from the supply chain made with forced labor from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. In November, CBP stopped 669 shipments valued at more than $15.5 million for further examination based on the suspected use of forced labor, and which may be subject to a Withhold Release order, Forced Labor Finding, or the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act’s rebuttable presumption, and prohibited importation into the United States under 19 U.S.C. § 1307.
In December, CBP issued a Finding against a Chinese-owned entity in the Dominican Republic based on information indicating the use of forced labor in the production of aluminum extrusion and profile products used to build transportation and construction products, furniture, electronics, and more. With this Finding issuance, CBP currently oversees and enforces 51 withhold release orders and Findings under 19 USC § 1307.
CBP also seizes millions of counterfeit products every year worth billions of dollars had they been genuine. In November, CBP seized 1,532 shipments that contained counterfeit goods valued at more than $164 million. Consumers are encouraged to be alert to the dangers of counterfeit goods especially when shopping online as they support criminal activity, hurt American businesses, and often have materials or ingredients that can pose serious health and safety risks.
This holiday season CBP is reminding the public to beware of counterfeit goods – such as electronics, toys, clothes, and cosmetics – that are potentially harmful to consumers. CBP recently issued a press release with tips on how to shop smart. More information about CBP’s intellectual property rights enforcement is available here.
Criminal groups are exploiting the explosive growth of e-commerce to sell illicit products and drugs, including fentanyl, through online platforms. CBP is working with DHS to move the 21st Century Customs Framework statutory package through an interagency review process in order to improve CBP’s ability to interdict these illicit products. At the same time, CBP is working with Department of Treasury to ensure the de minimis regulatory package enters interagency review.
CBP audits completed in November identified $10.5 million in duties and fees owed to the U.S. government, stemming from goods that had been improperly declared in accordance with U.S. trade laws and customs regulations. CBP collected over $1.2 million of this identified revenue and from previous fiscal years’ assignments. View more UFLPA enforcement statistics, and intellectual property rights enforcement statistics.
Agriculture Stats/Seizures – Securing American Agriculture
In November 2024, CBP agriculture specialists helped protect America’s agriculture, natural resources, and economic prosperity.
CBP issued 6,661 emergency action notifications for restricted and prohibited plant and animal products entering the United States.
CBP conducted 98,851 positive passenger inspections and issued 649 civil penalties and/or violations to the traveling public for failing to declare prohibited agriculture items.
