Migrant encounters at southern border surpass 21,000 in 72 hours, CBP sources say

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The U.S. may be on the brink of a potential spring surge of illegal crossings at the southern border after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources told Fox News early Monday that migrant encounters have surpassed 21,000 over three days.

The 7,000-plus migrant encounters on Sunday followed similar numbers on Friday and Saturday, the sources said.

Leading the encounters from Friday to Sunday was the Tucson sector in Arizona with more than 5,400, while the San Diego sector in California was the second busiest with more than 3,600, per the sources.

The increased numbers in Arizona and California appear to show that illegal crossing traffic is shifting away from Texas, where the Rio Grande Valley sector near Brownsville and the Del Rio sector near Eagle Pass saw among the lowest encounters, averaging 300 to 350 per day since Friday.

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From Friday to Sunday, CBP sources say there have been over 7,000 migrant encounters per day across the U.S. southern border. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

The 7,000-plus encounters per day are still much lower than the highs seen in December, which officials said were between 10,000 and 11,000 per day.  

The figures, however, have followed a trend since President Biden took office: illegal border crossings dip around January and February, then tick back up in March before exploding in the spring. 

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Meanwhile, the apparent shift out West comes as Gov. Greg Abbott contends with Biden on the issue, saying Texas will enforce immigration laws within its borders in the absence of federal enforcement. 

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The immigration enforcement efforts Abbott has tried included placing a floating barrier in the Rio Grande and putting razor wire along the U.S.-Mexico border.

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Last month, the Texas National Guard seized control of Shelby Park in the city of Eagle Pass and blocked Border Patrol from entering the area – part of Abbott’s effort to stop the surge of illegal immigration into Texas.

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The border has become central to the 2024 presidential election, with both President Biden and former President Trump – the presumed GOP nominee – both making trips to the Texas border on Thursday.

Fox News’ Bradford Betz and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

Griff Jenkins currently serves as a Washington-based correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC) and as a co-anchor of FOX News Live. He joined the network in 2003 as a radio producer and associate producer for War Stories with Oliver North.