U.S. Customs and Border Protection Chief Chris Magnus is warning people about the dangers of human trafficking and smuggling for migrants attempting to enter the U.S. illegally across the Southern border.
The statement noted that arrests were the highest for a single month ever recorded.
“Current restrictions at the U.S. border have not changed: Single adults and families encountered at the Southwest border will continue to be expelled, where appropriate, under Title 42,” Magnus said, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website. “As temperatures start to rise in the summer, human smugglers will continue to exploit vulnerable populations and recklessly endanger the lives of migrants for financial gain. The terrain along the Southwest border is extreme, the summer heat is severe and the miles of desert that migrants must hike after crossing the border are unforgiving. Our message to those who would try and gain illegal entry to the United States remains the same: Don’t make the dangerous journey, only to be sent back.”
Title 42 expulsions are removals by the U.S. government of migrants who are coming from a country where a communicable disease, such as COVID-19, is present. Title 42 was put into effect in March of 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Roughly 239,400 people were arrested attempting to illegally gain admittance to the U.S. through the U.S.-Mexico border in May 2022. The number of people trying to cross more than once has increased significantly, and the number of unaccompanied children has also increased.