U.S. Southwest Border Encounters

## What this measures

Encounters recorded at the U.S.–Mexico land border, by the Border Patrol between ports of entry and by CBP officers at ports of entry.

## Why it matters

The southwest border is where most migration pressure, and most of the political debate, is concentrated.

## How to read it

Compare with nationwide encounters and with a year earlier.

## What it does not say

Encounters count events, not people: one person caught twice counts twice. They include Title 8 apprehensions, inadmissibles at ports of entry and, before May 2023, Title 42 expulsions. They do not count people who crossed undetected.

## Source

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Southwest Land Border Encounters, monthly encounter counts by fiscal year, stitched from the rolling four-year CSV files on cbp.gov (Stats and Summaries). Palanor re-reads the latest file every day. CBP information is in the public domain; source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection.