The number of people encountered along the southwest border in October dropped for the third month in a row, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Monday, after a record year of attempted crossings.

What You Need To Know

  • The number of people encountered along the southwest border in October dropped for the third month in a row, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Monday

  • Two-thirds of people encountered at the border were single adults, CBP said, while far fewer families and unaccompanied children were counted

  • More than 1.7 million people tried to the cross the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021, a record high that peaked in July and has declined since

  • DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified on Tuesday at an oversight hearing that even migrants processed into the U.S. at the border are priorities for removal

U.S. border agents recorded more than 117,000 unique individuals attempting to cross last month, an 18% decrease from September, and more than half of them were expelled under public health restrictions in place due to the pandemic. Another near 48,000 crossings were repeat attempts.

Two-thirds of people encountered at the border were single adults, CBP said, while far fewer families and unaccompanied children were counted than the peak periods during the spring and summer.

The U.S. recorded more than 1.7 million encounters at the border by the end of fiscal year 2021, a record high.

The single month peak came in July with more than 213,000 encounters — a two-decade high — and October’s numbers are a near 23% decrease from then.

Much of the drop is due to fewer families and unaccompanied children attempting to cross, though the numbers are still in the thousands.

Border agents encountered an average of 595 kids traveling alone each day in October, compared to 772 per day in September.

The number of people encountered in families dropped to 42,726, less than half the August peak of more than 86,000.

Republican lawmakers say more needs to be done to enforce the border.

“This doesn't suggest to me operational control,” Sen. Mike Lee said Tuesday of the record number of crossings in 2021, speaking at an oversight hearing for the Department of Homeland Security. 

Of the nearly 165,000 people encountered in October, more than 70,000 were not immediately expelled and were processed into the U.S., though they can also be quickly deported, said DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in Tuesday’s hearing.

“Those individuals who have received notices to appear are recent border crossers and are priorities for enforcement and removal,” Mayorkas told Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

“They will be removed unless they make a claim to an immigration judge that they have a basis under United States law to remain here,” he added.

Mayorkas also said the “great majority” of people show up for their immigration hearings, though he did not give an exact percentage.

Immigration enforcement officials have also highlighted ongoing work to dismantle smuggling operations that ferry both drugs and people to the United States.

“CBP’s workforce continues to work with partners across the federal government and throughout the hemisphere to disrupt the smugglers intent on exploiting vulnerable migrants for profit.” said Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller in a statement.

In October, people migrating from Haiti also represented a sharp decrease in the numbers: More than 17,000 reached the United States in September, while 900 did last month.