Image Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection / Facebook
By Bethany Blankley [The Center Square contributor] –
There were 371,036 foreign nationals reported to have illegally entered the U.S. nationwide in December, the largest number for the month in U.S. history.
There were 302,034 foreign nationals who illegally entered the southwest land border, with the majority, 249,785, being apprehended between ports of entry, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. By comparison, 73,414 illegal border crossers were apprehended at the southwest border in December 2021.
There were 15,349 foreign nationals apprehended illegally entering at the northern land border last month, the highest for the month in U.S. history, according to the data. By comparison, there were 2,205 apprehensions at the northern border in December 2021.
The data excludes gotaways, those who illegally enter and intentionally evade capture by law enforcement, which CBP doesn’t publicly report. When included, the totals are much higher.
From Jan. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2023, there were an estimated 1.7 million gotaways to have illegally entered the U.S., The Center Square exclusively reported. Ultimately, law enforcement officials say they have no idea how many gotaways there are in the U.S., or who or where they are.
The overwhelming majority of illegal border crossers, including gotaways, are single adults, with the majority of them being single military age men, The Center Square has previously reported.
Retired FBI counter intelligence leaders recently sounded the alarm, warning that these unvetted men pose a terrorist threat. They also said President Joe Biden’s border policies have facilitated a “soft invasion” into the U.S. of military-age men coming from terror-linked regions, including China and Russia. “In its modern history the U.S. has never suffered an invasion of the homeland, and, yet, one is unfolding now,” they said.
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to soon impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for failing to uphold his oath of office. As the House Committee on Homeland Security Committee Chairman has repeatedly argued, Mayorkas is “derelict in his duty” to protect the homeland.
About the Author: Bethany Blankley is a writer at the Center Square, Patheos/Hedgerow, political analyst and former press secretary at Capitol Hill / NY / WDC. Follow Bethany on Twitter @BethanyBlankley.