EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Migrant encounters in the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol have increased in the past two weeks, but remain comparable to last December, federal officials say.
Border agents here have come across an average of 1,100 migrants a day – a mix of asylum-seekers trying to surrender at the border wall and groups of unauthorized foreign nationals trying to evade arrest – in the past two weeks.
That compares to a daily average of 860 encounters in February, 740 in January and more than 1,100 in December, according to Border Patrol data. On Friday, the City of El Paso’s online migrant dashboard showed 1,135 encounters for the previous day. On Dec. 19, for instance, that number was much higher, standing at 1,489 daily apprehensions and surrenders.
A KTSM/Border Report camera crew monitoring activity near a gate at the border wall between El Paso and Juarez, Mexico, witnessed a steady trickle of small groups made up mostly of Central and South American nationals make its way past the Texas Army National Guard razor wire and wait to be picked up by the U.S. Border Patrol on Wednesday and Thursday.
A federal official on Friday told Border Report migrant apprehensions fluctuate month to month. He attributed the current moderate increase to a combination of factors. One is smugglers trying to scare South and Central American migrants to cross before Texas allegedly shuts down the border through the implementation of SB4; the other is mild weather – neither too cold nor too hot – that facilitates travel.
A Texas Army National Guard soldier reinforces a razor-wire barrier on the U.S. banks of the Rio Grande between El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico.
The Pew Research Center since 2000 has been tracking migrant traffic at the U.S.-Mexico border. Its graphics show a peak of unauthorized crossings in March through 2019. But that has changed as of 2020.
“Since 2000, border apprehensions typically peaked in the spring, most often in March, before declining during the summer months, when journeys become more perilous,” the Pew reported. “But the pattern has changed with the annual peak occurring in months other than March. In fiscal year 2020, September was the peak month.”
Migrant apprehensions trending up in El Paso according to the City of El Paso’s Migrant Dashboard report for March 8, 2024.
The City of El Paso’s migrant dashboard tool shows encounters for Dec. 19, 2023.
That “spring surge” in migration coincided not only with the weather but also with seasonal jobs in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the number of construction jobs peaked between April and September in 2023.
“Construction activity often increases during warmer months, hence demand for workers rises in spring and summer,” according to Strathire research.
Likewise, for seasonal agricultural jobs, late March to early June is planting season for most crops, according to the Western Illinois University School of Agriculture.
Numerous migrants have told Border Report over the past four years they were crossing to find work in either agriculture, construction or restaurants in the U.S.
Meantime, the Border Patrol in El Paso continues urging migrants not to believe what smugglers say and instead follow procedure by seeking an online appointment in the case of asylum petitions through the CBP One app.
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