Migrant border encounters drop in March but year-to-date total higher than FY2023

The number of migrant encounters has decreased in March compared to the previous month, according to the latest data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

There were 137,480 migrant encounters with U.S. Border Patrol "between ports of entry" at the 2,000-mile southwest border, which is about 16% lower than in March 2023.

There were 189,372 migrant encounters between ports or entry including individuals who entered through appointments on CBP One smartphone application. This total is a bit lower than February 2024, which was 189,914. 

So far into the fiscal year 2024, there have been 1,340,801 total migrant encounters, which is higher than the same time frame in fiscal year 2023 at 1,226,254.