Border Patrol Reports Decline in Illegal Immigrant Encounters for April

There were 128,900 encounters—including people who presented themselves to agents at ports of entry—along the U.S.–Mexico border.

A group of migrants wait to be processed after crossing the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas, on April 2, 2024. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

The number of illegal immigrant encounters at the U.S. southern border declined by more than 6 percent in April compared with a month prior, according to data published on May 15 by Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Border Patrol agents recorded 128,900 encounters—which includes people who presented themselves to agents at ports of entry—along the U.S.–Mexico border in April, the CBP data show. That’s down from 137,480 in March and just more than half of the record high of 249,737 encounters in December 2023.