March statistics are in for the number of apprehensions along the southern border. As expected it went slightly over 100,000 (apprehensions plus “inadmissables”). High for the last five years but not necessarily historically when in early 2000s there was a March or two with double that number.

Border apprehensions spike to 92,000 in March: "We've arrived at the breaking point"

U.S. immigration authorities apprehended approximately 53,000 families and nearly 9,000 unaccompanied minors along the U.S.-Mexico border in March

www.cbsnews.com

A few items to note from the report:

approximately 53,000 families and nearly 9,000 unaccompanied children..nearly 11,000 migrants who appeared at ports of entry to claim asylum were deemed “inadmissible” and turned back…CBP recorded about 100 large groups, which the agency defines as groups of more than 100 migrants, in March…the majority of the migrants apprehended were from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, collectively known as the “Northern Triangle.”

This is a continuation of earlier trends of families coming from Northern Triangle countries. Turning away as many at border entry points makes it not surprising as many are seeking asylum by crossing between entry points. There is a large number of large groups (bus size), though perhaps not as much of the total as I expected.

One interesting thing will be to see if there is much of a seasonal trend. In the past there appeared to be a bit of a spike in spring prior to the hottest summer months. That effect also seems a bit more muted these past five years with additional factors driving the numbers.

Southwest Land Border Encounters FY22

Securing America's Borders

U.S. Customs and Border Protection