The Biden administration is seeking billions in additional funding for the border, as it predicts a sharp increase in the number of clashes with migrants when the authority to rapidly deport immigrants due to the COVID-19 pandemic expires later this month.
The Biden administration is seeking $2 billion in additional funding for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as well as $2 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to a congressional aide.
The survey was based on the Department of Homeland Security’s daily count of meetings after the 42nd ended on Dec. 21, Fox said. The court ordered the administration to stop using the power, which has been exercised since March 2020. returning immigrants to Mexico — after it was found illegal.
This “flow estimate” estimates that 9,000 to 15,000 migrants per day will cross once Title 42 expires. For context, the record average for fiscal year 2022 was 2.3 million migrant crossings — roughly 6,500 crossings per day.
FOX NEWS CAMERAS SHOW US MASSIVE MIGRANT ARRIVAL, 500,000 for FY23.
Immigrants line the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas. Thousands of migrants have entered the city illegally in recent days, raising concerns among city officials.
(Border Service)
The $4 billion funding request provides funding for “border management,” and DHS uses it for soft facilities, migrant care, transportation, processing, and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program. It’s part of a six-point plan announced by the administration that includes increasing resources at the border, anti-smuggling operations and greater use of alternative removal authorities, such as expedited removal.
The inquiry comes as border authorities are overwhelmed by the high numbers they have faced in recent weeks. Fox News reported Tuesday that there were more than 500,000 appointments this fiscal year, which began in October. There were over 505,000 meetings, an average of less than 7,000 per day. 162,547 of them were expelled under title 42.
This number exceeds that of previous years. FY 2022 had 517,000 appointments through the end of December, and FY 21 was just over 216,000 over the same period. In FY 2020, there were only 458,058 appointments for the entire fiscal year.
Fox News released footage of migrants released in El Paso this week after a huge migrant convoy crashed into the border on Monday – dozens could be seen setting up camp on a street corner.
Agents in the El Paso sector have made 2,416 appointments in the last 24 hours. One Border Patrol agent told Fox that the numbers “continue to overwhelm exhausted Border Patrol agents who continue to do their best despite a clear lack of support and leadership.”
AN ILLEGAL MIGRANT CARAVAN OF OVER 1,000 ENTERS EL PASO, TEXAS
CBP has acknowledged that border skirmishes have increased in recent days.
CBP said in a statement to Fox News on Monday afternoon that “Customs and Border Protection’s El Paso sector of the Texas border with Mexico has seen an increase in encounters.” “To process individuals as safely and expeditiously as possible, Big Bend Border Patrol agents and El Paso Field Office of CBP officers are assisting with processing.”
Meanwhile, in Brownsville, Texas, Fox News witnessed the mass release of several hundred immigrants in a parking lot. Migrants were abandoned by the hundreds, at which point they went to a local NGO, where they were given travel documents. From there, they can take a flight or bus across the country.
Fox News’ Bill Melugin and Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.