WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) released the following statement after the release of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) border encounter numbers for July 2024. Nationwide encounters under President Joe Biden and his “border czar” Kamala Harris have now officially surpassed 10 million, along with roughly two million known gotaways:  
 
“Despite the false narrative they’re attempting to project, the unprecedented border crisis the president and his ‘border czar’ have created continues to rage on. This administration is orchestrating a massive shell game, encouraging otherwise-inadmissible aliens to cross at ports of entry instead of between them—thereby creating a façade of improved optics for the administration, but in reality imposing a growing burden on our communities. Total encounters at our ports—land, sea, and air—are up exponentially this fiscal year compared to the Biden-Harris administration’s first year in office, and are on track to surpass last year’s total. Since January 2023, more than 1.28 million inadmissible aliens have been granted entry to our country at official ports of entry through just the CBP One and CHNV mass-parole programs Biden and Harris created. And now the CHNV program has been halted due to massive fraud. 

“Even if another illegal alien did not cross our Southwest border for the remainder of Biden-Harris’ term, the millions they have already allowed into our country have done damage that will take decades to remedy. And for the families of Americans like Laken Riley, Rachel Morin, and Jocelyn Nungaray, that damage will never be undone.”

Background: 

According to CBP data, total nationwide encounters exceeded 170,000 in July. Southwest border encounters exceeded 104,116, including more than 56,000 apprehensions by Border Patrol agents between ports of entry. Northern border apprehensions between ports of entry totaled 3,037, compared to 1,154 apprehensions in July 2023, and the third- most since President Biden and Vice President, and Biden-appointed “border czar,” Kamala Harris took office.

Since January 2023, appointments scheduled through the CBP One app have skyrocketed to more than 765,000, while in the same timeframe more than 520,000 inadmissible aliens have now arrived and been released into the United States via the CHNV mass-parole program. Via just these two unlawful mass-parole programs, Biden and Mayorkas have released more than 1.28 million inadmissible aliens into the United States. Just a few days ago, DHS admitted that it had temporarily paused travel authorizations for CHNV parolees due to massive fraud being uncovered in the flawed, inadequate sponsorship process, by which individuals in the United States, including those here unlawfully, can apply to “sponsor” a Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, or Venezuelan national through the program. 

###