On December 10, 2018, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released statistics regarding claims of fear by those who are determined to be inadmissible at ports of entry, or apprehended along the border, by U.S. Border Patrol agents. In recent years, CBP has seen a significant increase in the number and percentage of aliens who seek admission or unlawfully enter the U.S. and then assert an intent to apply for asylum or a fear of persecution.
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, CBP law enforcement personnel on the Southwest Border reported 38,269 claims at ports of entry and another 54,690 claims between the ports, for a total of 92,959. This represents a 67 percent increase in claims in FY 2018 compared to FY 2017, and a dramatic departure from 2000-2013, when fewer than 1 percent of those encountered by CBP initiated asylum claims.
