On Thursday, the acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Troy Miller, visited the San Ysidro Port of Entry and shared an update about the U.S.-Mexico Border.
“We’ve enhanced our enforcement efforts across multiple fronts,” Miller told a group of journalists at a news conference at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
Miller continued to discuss the latest impact of Operation Apollo, which refers to a relatively new strategy to decrease the amount of apprehensions made by agents through increased enforcement, harsher penalties for offenders and heightened collaboration with relevant agencies, among other things. The strategy was, partially, in response to challenges faced recently by the agency, Miller said.
“We saw unprecedented numbers of individuals wanting to enter the U.S. early last year,” Miller said. “We surged personnel and resources to impacted sectors.”
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Those sectors included San Diego, which saw record numbers of people arriving at the border to seek asylum daily in 2023-24, primarily in the weeks leading up to, and after, Title 42.
According to data posted online by the CBP, encounters that had been reported during the most recent fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30 showed a downward trend. However, the San Diego sector was one of two regions that saw an increase. The data shows encounters in San Diego increased by more than 50%, compared with last year. The only other sector to increase was Tucson.
Miller claimed that the nationwide trend of seeing fewer encounters came after a Jun. 4 proclamation to secure U.S. borders made by Pres. Joe Biden that said, in part, “This proclamation answers the call by suspending entry of noncitizens across the southern border during this time of high border crossings.”
The proclamation added that “appropriate exceptions” would be accepted, but that “this proclamation, in conjunction with steps to be taken by DOJ and DHS, is needed to enhance our ability to address the historic levels of migration and more efficiently process migrants arriving at the southern border given current resource levels.”
Miller claimed that, since then, the CBP reduced releases of migrants into U.S. communities by 80%. He also praised the CBP for strengthening its enforcement when it came to confiscating illegal substances, weapons and other contraband. He added that more than 40% of illegal fentanyl coming into the country enters through the San Ysidro Port of Entry and that the CBP is working on advanced analytics systems to prevent the contraband from making it into the U.S. either by car or any other form of shipment.
NBC 7 asked Miller for an update on the CBP investigation into a family who was detained at gunpoint in August. It was a case of mistaken identity, according to Rep. Juan Vargas, who called the incident “tragic” and a “terrible mistake," and pushed for the findings to be made public. Miller said he was unaware of it.
