CBP: Terror Watch List Arrests Spike Amid Record Migrant Encounters at Southwest US Border

In January 2021, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) halted public updates of Terrorist Screening Database encounters at the border. The CBP has since faced pushback from GOP lawmakers rejecting the agency’s assertion that data previously released under the Trump administration is now “law enforcement sensitive.”

US Border Patrol officials recorded an all-time monthly record of 239,416 migrant encounters along the southwest border in May, amounting to a 2% uptick from the number of encounters registered in April, according to recent CBP data.

One contributing factor to the increase in attempted US border crossings is the federal government’s use of Title 42, the Trump-era policy that employed COVID-19 and public health as the basis for the expulsion of migrants seeking asylum in the US.

Federal data shows 25% of encounters at the border in May were with migrants who attempted to cross into the US within the past year. Comparatively, the average one-year re-encounter rate was approximately 15% for fiscal years 2014 to 2019.

“Current restrictions at the US border have not changed: single adults and families encountered at the Southwest Border will continue to be expelled, where appropriate, under Title 42,” CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said in a quoted statement.

Around 69% (165,200 encounters) of the 239,416 migrants encountered at the southern border were logged as ‘single adults,’ amounting to a 2% decrease from April to May.

Border Patrol agents observed an 8% increase in ‘family unit’ individuals stopped at the southwest land border.

A total of 100,699 migrant encounters, or 42% of May encounters, were processed for expulsion under Title 42. Of those expelled under the Trump-era policy, 90,650 encounters involved single adults (55% of single adult migrants encountered in May).

“Our message to those who would try and gain illegal entry to the United States remains the same–don’t make the dangerous journey only to be sent back,” Magnus added, warning that human smugglers are seeking to “exploit vulnerable populations” and exploit migrants for “financial gain.”

The remaining 138,717 migrant encounters were processed under Title 8–the US’ border enforcement policy for credible asylum-seekers–with 74,550 encounters involving single adults and 49,432 encounters involving family unit individuals.

The law enforcement agency’s statistical overview for May 2022 notably included an update of its Terrorist Screening Database (TSDS) encounters.

The TSDS, also known as the “watchlist,” is a collection of sensitive information on the identities of individuals ranging from potential threats to the US, to fugitive terrorists.

As of this article’s publication, the US has seen a rise in TSDS encounters at the southwest border, which has seen 50 cases for fiscal 2022 (October to May) so far. Just 15 TSDS encounters were recorded in fiscal year 2021.

Another 142 TSDS encounters were logged at the US’ northern border for fiscal 2022 so far–eclipsing the 54 encounters observed in the previous period.