Texas Border Business
WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released operational statistics for October 2024. CBP monthly reporting can be viewed on CBP’s Stats and Summaries webpage.
“The men and women of CBP continue to work tirelessly to protect the homeland,” said Troy A. Miller, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner. “CBP’s enhanced enforcement efforts are continuing to keep border encounters low, and we continue to take unprecedented measures to dismantle and disrupt the operations of transnational criminal organizations, including those trafficking illicit narcotics like fentanyl, to keep our communities safe.”
CBP Southwest Border Enforcement Numbers for October 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 55% decrease in encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border through Nov. 19.
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 U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) pending immigration court proceedings is down 67%.
From June 5 through the end of October, DHS removed or returned more than 206,000 individuals to over 155 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 640 international repatriation flights from June 5 through the end of October.
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 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 of more than 64% from June to October between ports of entry. Specifically in the Swanton Sector, encounters dropped 69% from June to October.
Below are key operational statistics for CBP’s primary mission areas in October 2024. View all CBP statistics online.
Strengthening Border Security and Managing Migration
CBP, 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 October, USBP recorded approximately 56,530 encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border. While this was a marginal rise from September, the broader downward trend in encounter numbers has continued since June when new asylum restrictions were imposed by DHS and the Department of Justice (DOJ) subsequent to the Presidential Proclamation suspending and limiting the entry of noncitizens across the southern border. Daily average encounter numbers between ports of entry have remained around 1,800 per day. Total southwest border irregular encounters in October, including unscheduled encounters at ports of entry of people without a CBP OneTM appointment, were 61,431, a 69% drop from October 2023.
The Presidential Proclamation has enhanced DHS’s capacity for enforcement against individuals who pose a threat to national security or public safety, such as gang members attempting to enter the country unlawfully, because the Proclamation renders those individuals ineligible for asylum and enables their quick removal from the United States. DHS has also returned more 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.
USBP 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, which locates noncitizens reported missing, rescues individuals in distress, and reunifies decedents’ remains with their families in the border region. In October 2024, Border Patrol conducted 422 rescues.
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 use 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 October, CBP processed over 44,900 individuals 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 October 2024, more than 860,000 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, Mexican, and Haitian.
A percentage of daily available appointments are allocated to the earliest registered CBP One™ profiles so noncitizens who have been trying to obtain appointments for the longest time are prioritized. CBP is continually monitoring and evaluating the application to ensure its functionality and guard against bad actors.
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 authorization to travel to the United States in a safe, orderly, and lawful way once they purchase their own commercial airline tickets.
Through the end of October 2024, 531,620 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans arrived lawfully and were granted parole under the parole processes. Specifically, 110,980 Cubans, 213,860 Haitians, 96,280 Nicaraguans, and 120,770 Venezuelans were vetted and authorized for travel; and 110,240 Cubans, 211,010Haitians, 93,070 Nicaraguans, and 117,310 Venezuelans arrived and were granted parole.
Since DHS has implemented these safe, orderly and lawful processes, encounters of CHNV nationals in between POEs 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 nearly 50,000 pounds of fentanyl, more than ever in history and enough to produce more than 2 billion lethal doses.
In October 2024, CBP seized 2,124 pounds of fentanyl. Nationwide in October, seizures of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana (combined, by weight) increased 27% from September.
Seizures by weight were as follows from September to October:
- Cocaine seizures increased 15%
- Methamphetamine increased 18%
- Heroin seizures increased 6.9%
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.
The number of passenger vehicles and commercial trucks processed at ports of entry increased 4.5% from October 2023 to October 2024. The number of travelers arriving by air into the United States increased 3.4% over the same period.
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 October 2024, CBP processed more than 3 million entry summaries valued at more than $308 billion, identifying estimated duties of more than $7 billion to be collected by the U.S. government. In October, trade via the ocean environment accounted for 37% 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 October, CBP stopped 557 shipments valued at more than $38 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.
CBP also seizes millions of counterfeit products every year worth billions of dollars had they been genuine. In October, CBP seized 1,677 shipments that contained counterfeit goods valued at more than $289 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. 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 completed 11 audits in October that identified $3.6 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 $8 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 October 2024, CBP agriculture specialists helped protect America’s agriculture, natural resources, and economic prosperity.
- CBP issued 7,053 emergency action notifications for restricted and prohibited plant and animal products entering the United States.
- CBP conducted 99,161 positive passenger inspections and issued 646civil penalties and/or violations to the traveling public for failing to declare prohibited agriculture items.
View more agricultural enforcement statistics.
