Record-setting 276K migrants cross southern border in December — and it isn’t over

The crisis at the besieged southern border reached new heights this week, with the number of migrant encounters in December already shattering records — with three days of the month remaining.

More than 276,000 asylum seekers hoping to cross the US-Mexico border have been encountered by US Customs and Border Protection agents in December, the highest number for a single month in history, according to the shocking data obtained by Fox News.

That figure is expected to notably rise with three days of the month remaining — and illegal crossings topping 10,000 some days in December.

The eye-popping tally already eclipses the previous monthly record set in September, when 269,735 migrants were encountered, according to CBP statistics.

The December figure also includes 225,000 migrants taken into custody at the border during the first 27 days of December — also a record, internal federal statistics obtained by CBS News show.

That surpassed the previous high set in May 2022, when the Border Patrol processed 224,000 migrants between ports of entry.

The new figures do not include migrants showing up at official ports of entry to apply for asylum through a new app introduced by the Biden administration.

Roughly 50,000 migrants are funneled through that system each month, according to CBS.

Officials are struggling to manage an accelerating influx of asylum seekers at overwhelmed border locations, with agents bracing for the arrival of a massive caravan of up to 15,000 migrants in the coming weeks.

“It’s an unsustainable number of arrivals,” Theresa Cardinal Brown, a former US immigration official under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, told CBS.

“We can’t keep funding the system for more and more people. It’s challenging at every level.”  

Meanwhile, another 11,000 migrants are huddled in camps in Mexico as they await an opportunity to cross over into the US.

In the 2023 fiscal year, more migrant encounters were recorded on the southern border than any other year since the government began keeping those records in 1960 — with an estimated total of 2.4 million.

“Encounter numbers continue to fluctuate, as smugglers and bad actors continue to spread falsehoods and show complete disregard for the safety and well-being of vulnerable migrants,” a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told CBS.

“We remain vigilant and stand ready to ensure the safety of our personnel, migrants, and local communities, and the security of our southwest border.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador this week to address the spiraling crisis.

While no specific arrangement was announced as a result, both sides said they were committed to stemming the tide.

“As we made clear in Mexico City today, we are committed to partnering with Mexico to address our shared challenges, including managing unprecedented irregular migration in the region, reopening key ports of entry, and combating illicit fentanyl and other synthetic drugs,” Blinken said after the meeting.

While the short-term challenges posed by the surge are absorbed at the border and nearby US towns, migrants inevitably fan out across the nation.

Mayors from three major cities — New York, Chicago and Denver — held a joint press conference this week to amplify their concerns.

“As temperatures drop in New York City, Chicago, Denver and other impacted cities, we are calling for the federal declaration of emergency, financial support and a national resettlement strategy,” New York Mayor Eric Adams said.