Migrant encounters again top 10K in a single day as lawmakers eye new border limits

Migrant encounters at the southern border again topped 10,000 encounters in a single day on Tuesday, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources told Fox News, as lawmakers in Washington, D.C., remain locked in discussions about new border measures.

The numbers seen on Wednesday are slightly less than the over 12,000 seen in a single day last week, which broke daily records, but are still at overwhelming levels for Border Patrol agents on the ground. 

Tucson and Del Rio Sectors, which saw 3,000 and 2,700 encounters, respectively, were both more than 200% over capacity. Meanwhile, agents were hit by multiple groups of more than 100 migrants in multiple locations simultaneously, Fox is told.

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Dec. 12, 2023: Migrants are processed in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Fox News)

“The TCOs [Transnational Criminal Organizations] know what they are doing,” one agent said.

Fox reported on Saturday that lawmakers had been briefed by officials that over 5,000 illegal immigrants are currently being released into the U.S. each day. That is in addition to the 1,600 migrants who arrived at ports of entry and are being processed and released via the use of humanitarian parole each day under the CBP One app. 

Border Patrol agents have encountered migrants from over 150 countries, lawmakers were told. Sources also told Fox that on Tuesday, there were more than 190 Chinese nationals encountered in the San Diego sector alone, while there were more than 120 encounters of nationals from Guinea in the Tucson Sector.

The numbers come after a record-breaking FY 23 which saw more than 2.4 million encounters, and records broken in both September and October. While numbers typically drop over the winter months, the current surge is showing little sign of slowing.

It comes as lawmakers are furiously negotiating over the White House’s supplemental funding request for border funding, as well as aid to Ukraine and Israel. 

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Migrants flee through a gap being repaired in the border wall in Lukeville, Arizona, on Dec. 5, 2023. (Fox News)

The White House has requested over $100 billion, including $14 billion for border funding — which includes migrant care, costs related to expedited removal and help for besieged cities. The administration says it is dealing with a broken system and a hemisphere-wide crisis and needs funding and reform from Congress.

However, Republicans, who blame the administration’s policies for the new crisis, want to see tighter restrictions on asylum standards and the use of parole by the administration.

President Biden said last week that he is open to “significant compromises” on the border in order to get the deal over the line, and any supplemental deal is expected to include some restrictions on initial “credible fear” screenings and a greater use of expedited removal. The White House’s initial supplemental plan included a request for resources to expand the use of expedited removal, which allows for the quick deportation of those who do not meet initial standards for asylum.

Some Democrats have balked at Republican demands for more restrictions, arguing that any such policy changes would need to be accompanied by an amnesty for illegal immigrants already in the U.S. – a likely non-starter for Republicans. 

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Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters on Wednesday that the White House has been “more involved,” calling that “good news” but said it was unclear if an agreement could be reached.

“Whether we can land this plane, I don’t know,” he said.

Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report.