(Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Glenn Grothman (WI-06) released the following statement after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released the number of encounters at the Southwest border for the month of April.
“The number of migrants attempting to illegally cross our Southern border is reaching staggering levels,” said Grothman. “An estimated 234,088 illegal migrants were encountered at the Southwest border in April, the highest monthly total in the history of the Department of Homeland Security.
“Of the record number of migrants illegally crossing the border, an estimated 184,000 were released and remain in the interior of the United States. The 117,989 recorded ‘humanitarian releases’ represent an increase of 47 percent from March and we saw roughly an additional 8,600 unaccompanied children released to sponsors. This is on top of the estimated 58,000 got-aways who dodged Border Patrol altogether.
“CBP officials have informed me that they’re not just seeing individuals from Mexico and Northern Triangle countries, they have seen people from over 140 different countries attempting to cross the border illegally. These migrants likely wouldn’t be paying cartels $10,000 to $20,000 per person to be sent to the United States if they weren’t positive they would be let into the country. Under President Biden, the means to bypass our immigration system without identification or a sufficient background check is far too straightforward and well-known across the globe. This is severely threatening to our national security.
“Encouraging lawlessness along the border only benefits Cartels who are lining their pockets through well-coordinated human smuggling and drug trafficking operations. Fentanyl bears the lion’s share of responsibility for the United States surpassing 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021, a record-high. Some may consider drug trafficking and sales a victimless crime, but that doesn’t make the friends and relatives of the over 100,000 Americans who died feel any less painful. Without a dramatic shift in policy, the deadly drugs of Mexican cartels will continue killing Americans. I beg President Biden and the leaders of the Majority parties in both the Senate and House to take action to secure the southern border.
“Even in the face of a historic crisis, the Biden White House remains committed to ending Title 42, which will only bring more illegal aliens and deadly drugs to the border.”
