Border numbers for June show a significant drop in encounters

CBP data on border encounters for June shows a 14% drop from May but a historically high number for the month of June. The number of encounters for 2022 have reached 1,746,119 – surpassing last year’s record with three months still remaining in the fiscal year. Preliminary numbers for July indicate that we could see an increase in encounters this month as well, especially given the recent spike in numbers seen in the Del Rio sector.

Repeat crossings continue to be high (26%) due under the use of Title 42: of the 207,416 total encounters, there were 153,379 unique individuals encountered. While the number of single adults and members of family units dropped significantly in June, the number of unaccompanied children increased by 4%. 

House passes measures that could protect “Documented Dreamers” and others

On Thursday, the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which authorized defense spending for fiscal year 2023 as well as some immigration provisions. Among those provisions was an amendment to protect children who are dependents on their parents’ green card applications or employment visas who “age out” upon turning 21 and are then subject to deportation. These are often referred to as “Documented Dreamers,” since they arrive in the U.S. with documentation but a gap in the law causes them to fall out of status due solely to their age. 

Another amendment that passed with this bill would allow for the admission of certain scientists and field experts who “promote and protect the national security innovation base.” An amendment to provide an exemption on green card caps for those with advanced STEM degrees did not pass.

In addition, the bill included provisions to help vulnerable Afghans who were left behind during last year’s evacuation, by providing additional support for processing Special Immigrant Visas (SIV), refugee referrals, and student visas for Afghans. 

The Senate has not yet voted on a defense spending bill, so these provisions are still subject to change before being passed into law.

President Biden and President Lopez Obrador met to discuss migration

Last week President Biden and President Lopez Obrador of Mexico met to discuss how the two countries could work together on migration. The US and Mexico plan to “expand our diplomatic coordination on migration issues throughout the region” and reached six agreements following the meeting. These include the launch of a bilateral working group on labor migration pathways and worker protections, creation of a working group to strengthen both countries’ responses to child migration, an investment of $3.4 billion by the U.S. to modernize ports of entry, an investment of $1.5 billion by Mexico to enhance “smart border technology” between 2022 and 2024, a commitment from both countries to improve conditions that contribute to root causes of migration throughout the Americas, and a renewed commitment to arrest and prosecute human smugglers.