The Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) January report is out and the number of illegal immigrant apprehensions is down from the record numbers of December. Thank goodness.

The previous month's report (December) showed a record-high number of illegal immigrant apprehensions along the southern border. The January numbers dip is credited to "seasonal trends" and "enhanced enforcement efforts." 

“As a result of seasonal trends, as well as enhanced enforcement efforts by the men and women of CBP and our international partners, southwest border encounters between ports of entry dropped by 50% in January. We continue to experience serious challenges along our border which surpass the capacity of the immigration system,” said Troy A. Miller, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner. “CBP remains on the frontline in preventing fentanyl and other dangerous drugs from entering our country, enforcing our nation’s laws and interdicting 34% more fentanyl and 68% more cocaine than the previous month.”

Imagine a border crisis where 124,220 encounters between ports of entry in one month are considered news to cheer. That's what we have here.

In January 2024, the U.S. Border Patrol recorded 124,220 encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border, a decrease of 50% from December 2023.

CBP’s total encounters along the southwest border in January 2024 were 176,205, a decrease of 42% from December 2023. Total encounters include U.S. Border Patrol encounters between ports of entry, as well as individuals who presented themselves at ports of entry (including those with CBP One appointments, detailed further below).

Among CBP’s 176,205 total southwest border encounters in January 2024, encounters with single adults decreased by 35% compared to December 2023, encounters with unaccompanied children decreased by 37%, and encounters with family unit individuals decreased by 51%.

Will the drop in encounters along the southern border in Texas work to improve the now impeached DHS Secretary Mayorkas' standing with American voters? Probably not. The drop is welcomed but the number of illegal crossings is still too high. We are going for zero, not cutting a record-high number in half. 

His agency this week reported 44,000 total border encounters along the five border patrol sectors in Texas. That is nearly one-third of the total encounters from December when more than 125,000 encounters were reported.

It also marked the fewest number of border encounters in Texas since President Joe Biden took office.

The number of arrests of Venezuelans dramatically dropped by 91%. There were 4,422 arrests as compared to 46,920 in December.

Migrant crossings in Texas have sharply fallen. Now the borders of Arizona and California are dealing with large increases of illegal immigrants daily. The cartels aren't stupid. They are flexible enough to shift their operations along the border as needed. The activity has moved from the Eagle Pass, Texas area to locations further west along the border.

Over the past weeks, the Tucson sector in Arizona and the San Diego sector in California have been the busiest Border Patrol regions for migrant crossings. In both sectors, more than 1,000 migrants have been entering the U.S. illegally each day in remote desert areas like Lukeville, Arizona, and Jacumba Hot Springs, California, in recent weeks, taking advantage of gaps in the border wall or holes cut by smugglers.

Border Patrol averaged 1,816 daily migrant apprehensions in the Tucson sector and 1,213 in the San Diego sector during the week ending on Feb. 4, the internal government data show. Collectively, the two sectors accounted for 59% of the 5,128 daily apprehension average that week. Arizona and California each have one additional Border Patrol sector, but migrant arrivals in those areas are much lower.

Crossings in the Eagle Pass area have slowed to a trickle. Governor Abbott credits that to the efforts of Operation Lone Star which is securing the Texas border with razor wire, shipping containers, and other barriers, like the buoy barrier in the Rio Grande River. Governor Abbott sealed off the staging area used by Border Patrol in Shelby Park. 

Governor Abbott said that the (Democrat-controlled) states of Arizona and California are not resisting illegal immigration as Texas is doing.

"The cartels have rerouted their routes to cross the border because Texas is the only state that's putting up any resistance," Abbott said. "Despite the fact that Texas represents more than 60% of the land miles of the border, the overwhelming majority now of people crossing the border are crossing in Arizona and California, two states that are putting up no resistance to illegal immigration."

So, for now, Texas is seeing a slowdown, which is welcomed. However, no one expects it to continue for long. Not as long as the border is still wide open. The cartels will move from section to section depending on which area is the easiest to breach.