Chairman Green Statement on December Border Encounter Numbers

WASHINGTON, DC— Rep. Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, issued the below statement on the release of the December monthly Southwest border encounter numbers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In December 2022, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had 251,487 migrant encounters at the Southwest border, which is greater than the population of Scottsdale, Arizona.

“Another month and another effort from DHS to hinder transparency with the American people. It’s no surprise we get our most important information from DHS on a Friday after dark. The Southwest border is an unmitigated disaster and these monthly encounter numbers from DHS prove just that. The Biden administration continues to break its own records every month. Never before in DHS history has there been a month with encounters this high. It’s no coincidence that all of these dangerous records are happening on Biden’s watch.

“However, the tides are changing. This Committee will no longer tolerate receiving these critical updates 20 days into the month and we will no longer tolerate this refusal to enforce law and order at the border. We look forward to having Secretary Mayorkas before the Committee soon to provide answers and accountability for the significant threat these border security policies have had on our homeland security posture.”