August 16, 2024

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Developments

Border Patrol statistics obtained by USA Today’s Lauren Villagrán point to 61,325 apprehensions of migrants in July, including about 5,000 people taken into custody at ports of entry without CBP One appointments. This number, which aligns with early-August reports of about 57,000 Border Patrol apprehensions between ports of entry last month, is the fewest recorded at the U.S.-Mexico border since September 2020. CBP has not yet posted July migration data.

Villagrán visited the largest shelter for released migrants in the El Paso area, where most occupants are people who had CBP One appointments at ports of entry. Border Patrol drop-offs of migrants who crossed the border without inspection—and are mostly banned from seeking asylum under a June 2024 Biden administration rule—are down to “single digits” per day.

• Lauren Villagran, “After Record-Breaking Years, Migrant Crossings Plunge at Us-Mexico Border” (USA Today, August 16, 2024).

Villagrán, Anna Giaritelli of the Washington Examiner, and Didi Martinez and Laura Strickler of NBC News reported that the drop in migration has nearly stalled Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) program of busing released migrants, without advance coordination, to U.S. cities governed by Democratic mayors.

• Anna Giaritelli, “Texas Stops Busing Migrants to Chicago Months Before Democratic Convention” (The Washington Examiner, August 15, 2024).
• Didi Martinez, Laura Strickler, “Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Vows to Keep Busing Migrants North. One Problem: Not Enough Migrants.” (NBC News, August 14, 2024).

Border Report’s Sandra Sanchez covered a training in Eagle Pass of volunteers helping to identify deceased migrants. A mobile morgue run by the sheriff’s department in Maverick County, which includes Eagle Pass, currently holds over 40 unidentified remains; the county lacks a medical examiner. Some remains have been in the morgue since 2020.

• Sandra Sanchez, “Volunteers Learn to Fingerprint, Id Deceased Migrants” (Border Report, August 15, 2024).

President Biden spoke with Panama’s new president, José Raúl Mulino, on August 14. They “discussed joint efforts to address the challenges stemming from irregular migration through Panama, including the regularization of migrant populations and increased humane enforcement efforts.”

• “Readout of President Biden’s Call With President Jose Raul Mulino of Panama” (The White House, August 14, 2024).

A host of senior Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials will be speaking at a “Border Technology Summit” in San Diego on September 24-25. The event encourages networking between border law enforcement management and private corporations seeking to sell technology and services. Admission for government and military employees is $49; the fee for foreign governments, academics, and non-profits is $1,195 (currently discounted to $995).

• “Empowering Border Security Through Technology, Innovation, and Collaboration” (Institute for Defense and Government Advancement, August 2024).

Analyses and Feature Stories

At the Border Chronicle, Todd Miller took stock of the Kamala Harris campaign’s recent tough talk about border security and migration, including pledges to maintain asylum curbs and hire more Border Patrol agents.

• Todd Miller, “The Border Cold War: Election Tension and the Bipartisan Consensus” (The Border Chronicle, August 15, 2024).

The BBC looked at Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportation of migrants from the United States, and at his running mate J.D. Vance’s suggestion, “Let’s start with one million.” The analysis pointed to many potential obstacles, from law to logistics to public outrage.

• Bernd Debusmann Jr, Mike Wendling, “How Would Trump’s Promise of Mass Deportations of Migrants Work?” (BBC (UK), August 16, 2024).

The Associated Press reported from Peru, Chile, and Colombia about those countries’ expectation of a new wave of Venezuelan migration following the July 28 presidential elections’ fraudulent and repressive result. The Miami Herald reported on an August 8-11 Meganálisis poll of 1,007 Venezuelans, which found more than 40 percent are considering fleeing. (It also found that 93 percent of Venezuelans do not believe that Nicolás Maduro won the election.)

• Astrid Suarez, Franklin Briceno, Nayara Batschke, “As Fallout Surges From Venezuela’s Election Crisis, the Region Fears Another Mass Exodus” (Associated Press, Associated Press, August 15, 2024).
• Antonio MarÍa Delgado, Syra Ortiz Blanes, “A Hundred Thousand Venezuelans Are Considering Leaving the Country Right Now, Poll Says” (The Miami Herald, August 15, 2024).