WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) released the following statement on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) border encounter numbers for March 2024:

“Last month was the third-highest March in decades for encounters along the Southwest border. Secretary Mayorkas’ willful and systemic refusal to comply with the laws of the United States and his breach of the public trust continue to incentivize a record number of inadmissible aliens to flock to our borders, putting themselves in harm’s way and straining our Border Patrol agents and Custom and Border Protection officers on the frontlines of the crisis. Among these encounters were more Chinese nationals, totaling more in the first six months of this fiscal year than in all of Fiscal Year 2023. 

“Nationwide encounters continue to tell the story of this administration’s brazen and unlawful use of mass-parole to funnel unprecedented numbers of otherwise inadmissible aliens into communities across this country through ports of entry, forcing taxpayers to bear the overwhelming cost. The American people continue to demand accountability from the individual responsible for this crisis—Secretary Mayorkas. I urge my Senate colleagues to fulfill their constitutional duty to hold an impeachment trial for this DHS secretary, fully examine the evidence, and render a verdict.”

Background:

According to CBP data, nationwide encounters (246,432) have increased 28 percent compared to March 2021, including a 375 percent increase in encounters at ports of entry alone (107,298, up from 22,583 in March 2021). Southwest border encounters (189,372) marked a two percent decrease compared to March 2023, but a nine percent increase compared to March 2021.

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