Border Patrol encounters significantly down in Rio Grande Valley Sector

McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — Border Patrol encounters with migrants in the Rio Grande Valley Sector in May were down 79% from the previous year, according to data released Thursday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

That’s the biggest drop in migrant encounters from the previous year of any Border Patrol sector on the Southwest border.

Migrant encounters down 24% in June

CBP data shows that last May, the sector in South Texas had the highest number of migrants on the entire Southwest border — over 38,000 — illegally crossing in between U.S. ports of entry in anticipation of the lifting of Title 42 on May 12, 2023. Last month, there were 7,865 encounters. That’s down 10.7% from 8,811 encounters in April.

Encounters in the sector in May were down 57%, from 18,216, in December 2023, when migrant crossings across the Southwest border hit an all-time high, according to CBP data.

The Tucson Sector in western Arizona had the most encounters in May followed by the San Diego Sector.

In the RGV Sector, single adult migrants made up the majority of migrants encountered — over 3,500. But officials also found nearly 2,000 unaccompanied children on the South Texas border, CBP reports.

Overall, encounters on the Southwest border in May dropped 9% from April to 117,900 — that’s the third-lowest amount since President Joe Biden took office.