Migrant encounters creep up, but still within historic lows

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Apprehensions of migrants between ports of entry in the Southwest border crept up in August but federal officials emphasize those 6,321 encounters reflect only 4 percent of the monthly average of the previous four years.

August totals reflect a 37 percent increase month-to-month over July – which reported the lowest number of encounters on record, with only 4,596. That’s about 204 migrants illegally coming across each day, compared to the 12,600 that came into the country in a 24-hour period on Dec. 18, 2023.

Most encounters involve Mexican nationals; most reflect adults traveling without family members or children, according to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The Rio Grande Valley of Texas (1,363) and the El Paso sectors reported the most apprehensions in August.

Border agents in El Paso detained 1,305 migrants in August, or about 42 per day, with 70 percent being Mexicans. El Paso’s daily average for July 2025 was 35.

Federal officials attribute the substantial year-to-year drop in Southwest border encounters to a strong message from the Trump administration that there is no more parole for anyone who crosses the border illegally and legal consequences to those who come in anyway.