The number of migrants apprehended by Border Patrol in August decreased from the record high of 250,000 in December.

The number of migrant encounters at the southern border is expected to decrease to its lowest level since the end of the Trump administration, while the total number of removals and returns over the past year has surpassed the Trump era.

Nearly 250,000 migrant encounters were recorded by the agency between ports of entry along the southwest border in December, down to about 58,000 in August.

The Border Patrol is on track to record the lowest number of annual apprehensions along the southwest border since fiscal year 2020, with a 68% drop compared to the same month last year.

The number of encounters with migrants at the border has decreased compared to the monthly average for fiscal year 2019, the last full year before the pandemic. These encounters include migrants who are temporarily taken into custody and then released while awaiting a decision on asylum, as well as those who are expelled immediately without being held in custody.

Since December 2023, there has been a significant increase in encounters with migrants crossing the southern border, with nearly 250,000 encounters recorded, surpassing the previous high of around 224,000 encounters in May 2022.

The issue of immigration remains contentious as the election approaches, prompting President Biden to sign an executive order, the Presidential Proclamation and accompanying Interim Final Rule (IFR), in June in response to pressure from Republicans and former President Donald Trump to address the unprecedented number of border crossings during his tenure.

Since President Biden's executive order was implemented on June 5, and up until September 10, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has deported or returned over 131,000 individuals to more than 140 countries, including conducting over 400 international repatriation flights.

The percentage of noncitizens processed for expedited removal has almost tripled, while the percentage of releases pending immigration court proceedings has decreased by nearly half, according to CPB.

Since 2010, the total removals and returns have exceeded the removals and returns in any fiscal year, according to CPB.

The IFR has aided DHS in enforcing against migrants who pose a threat to national security or public safety, such as gang members attempting to enter the country unlawfully, by making them ineligible for asylum and allowing for their swift removal, as stated in the agency's report.

"CBP stated in its report that the United States is collaborating with domestic and foreign partners to disrupt irregular migration across its borders and monitor emerging threats, including those posed by transnational criminal organizations. The agency also emphasizes its commitment to conducting thorough screening and vetting of individuals encountered at its borders to identify those who pose threats to public safety and national security."

The DHS has increased the number of Border Patrol agents on the front line to improve border security operations and prevent individuals who pose a threat to national security or public safety from entering the country.

The DHS has intensified screening procedures at the border to detect gang members, including those affiliated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which has been terrorizing communities by seizing properties in Texas and Colorado.

In August, the CBP's counternarcotics surge efforts resulted in a 30% increase in the seizure of dangerous drugs compared to July, as stated by Troy Miller, the acting commissioner.

"Our committed staff is effectively disrupting the activities of dangerous international criminal groups through enhanced enforcement efforts," Miller stated.

Nearly 530,000 migrants have entered the U.S. through the Biden administration's controversial mass parole program for those migrating from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV), which began in October 2012.

Nearly 530,000 migrants were paroled into the U.S., while about 813,000 migrants have scheduled appointments to be released at ports of entry.

The Biden administration created two "lawful pathways" into the U.S.

The Border Patrol does not count numbers of illegal crossings.

On two-year humanitarian parole grants, migrants in the CHNV program are granted permission to work in the U.S.

Planet Chronicle' Bill Melugin and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.