WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) this week made the following statement after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released their operational update for February 2022:

“We are only 5 months into the fiscal year and already on track to hit 1 million crossings at the southern border in March,” said Congressman Gonzales. “As we prepare for the spring months, traditionally the most active months for border crossings, our agents are still stuck in processing centers rather than patrolling the field, with morale lower than ever. And yet the Administration has begun phasing out Title 42, one of the only effective measures in our Border Patrol agents’ toolbelt. With already record-breaking numbers rolling in, the warmer months threaten to make the border more chaotic than ever before.”

 MAIN TAKEAWAYS

• All encounters for February 2021 totaled 164, 973. 
• This is a 7% increase compared to January 2022 and a 63% increase from February 2021.
• Nationwide encounters for FY22 (Oct. 1 – Feb. 28) total 967, 743.
• Last Friday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released their annual report for FY2021 which revealed that deportations hit a 26-year low.