Mar 10, 2021 - Politics & Policy

U.S. border crossings spiked 28% last month, CBP says

Orion Rummler

A picture of people kneeling on a street — Migrants wearing T-shirts that read "Biden, please let us in" kneel and pray at the border crossing in Mexico, San Ysidro. Photo: Stringer/picture alliance via Getty Images

100,441 people attempted to cross into the U.S. along the Southwest border last month, a 28% increase since January, Customs and Border Protection senior official Troy Miller told reporters in a Wednesday call.

Why it matters: President Biden faces a mounting humanitarian crisis at the border, as children are being held for days in border stations and more migrants flee political oppression and economic devastation.

Where it stands: More than 9,400 of those stopped were unaccompanied minors, up from 5,800 unaccompanied minors stopped in January, per the New York Times.

The Centers for Disease Control recently allowed shelters handling child migrants to expand to full capacity, abandoning a requirement that they stay near 50% to inhibit the spread of the coronavirus.
Border crossings have been on the rise since April 2020, a CBP official on the call said.

What they're saying: Miller cited rising coronavirus infections in South and Central America, unemployment, rising violence and economic instability as driving greater numbers of migrants to the border.

“If you put all those issues together, you’re going to see folks that are looking for a better way of life," he said.

Go deeper: Why migrants are fleeing their homes for the U.S.

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U.S. border crossings spiked 28% last month, CBP says

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