The U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced it will begin publishing the number of people whom Border Patrol Agents were unable to arrest, reports The Washington Examiner.
The monthly estimate is expected to be in the thousands, with previous years showing an average of 30,000 to 60,000 arrests each month. (RELATED: Migrant Apprehensions At Southern Border Surge During Pandemic)
Border Patrol National Chief Rodney Scott said that the agency uses the numbers internally to see trends in smuggling, per The Washington Examiner.
“We weren’t even really allowed to release into-the-year statistics . . . Like, they’re just numbers,” said Scott in relation to the old policy, The Washington Examiner reports.
Border Patrol to begin disclosing how many illegal border crossers get away https://t.co/bGzPRjAOzc
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) November 12, 2020
In addition to those who evaded arrest, the report will also include the number of people who attempted to enter the United States illegally but eventually turned back to Mexico, per the source.
Immigration-related organizations are in favor of releasing these monthly reports, saying the reports will give the groups more data.
Randy Capps, director of research for the Migration Policy Institute’s U.S. programs, said that because nearly all illegal immigrants are being returned to Mexico instead of facing charges, more are trying to sneak over the border. This, according to Capps, leads to more illegal immigrants getting away, per The Washington Examiner.