In September, over 269,000 people were caught crossing the southern border illegally, a record high for a single month.
A record number of illegal immigrants crossed the U.S.–Mexico border in September, new data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) indicates.
Last month, 269,735 illegal immigrants were encountered at America’s southern border, CBP data show.
That’s the highest number ever recorded in a single month.
Since President Joe Biden took office, CBP agents have arrested over 7 million people crossing the border illegally between ports of entry.
The border crisis is increasingly becoming a political weight on President Biden, dragging down his approval ratings.
Immigration is the area in which he’s doing the worst job, according to a recent ABC News/Washington Post survey, which shows that 71 percent of Americans disapprove of the way he’s handling immigration and the situation at the U.S.–Mexico border.
That figure has grown steadily from mid-July, when 61 percent of Americans said they think the president is doing a bad job on immigration and the border crisis.
Many Republicans see the issue of illegal border crossings as one of the country’s most pressing issues while polling shows that for Democrats, it’s of relatively low priority.
Biden Blamed for Border Crisis
Republicans have blamed the president’s policies for helping fuel the border crisis.
During his first 100 days in office, President Biden took dozens of executive actions on immigration, including ordering a halt to the construction of the border wall—which his administration is now looking to resume in an about-face.
One of the most outspoken critics of the Biden administration’s border policies is Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who on Sept. 20 declared an “invasion” at the southern border due to the surge in illegal immigration.
“Joe Biden completely abandoned his constitutional duty to secure the border,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a post on X in September, around the time when CBP released the August border crossing numbers, showing another uptick in illegal border crossings.
And on Oct. 20, a day ahead of the release of September’s record-breaking border crossing figures, Mr. Abbott once again took to X to say that he’s seeking additional funding to build a border wall to protect Texans from the influx.
By Tom Ozimek
