How migrant crossings are surging on the US-Mexico border in three charts

The number of migrant detentions at the U.S.’ southwest border reached a record 2.4 million last year. Data from the first six months of the current fiscal year, which started in September, suggests the number of detentions is on track to set a new record. Speaking to the Financial Times, a U.S. official said the number of detentions could double to 13,000 a day when Title 42 restrictions expire.

Roughly half of those detained at the border come from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, or El Salvador. However, in each of the past two years, a record number of migrants from countries other than Mexico — the country of origin for most migrants crossing into the U.S. — have been recorded.

A recent surge in the number of South American migrants — notably Venezuelans — has shifted the demographics of those crossing into the U.S. Just last month, the number of migrants transiting through the perilous Darien Gap — the only stretch of land from Alaska to Patagonia without a road — grew sixfold compared to April last year, a sign that migrants may be more willing to travel to the U.S. as the pandemic-related restrictions cede.

Despite the end of the restrictions, many migrants applying for U.S. asylum still face the dangerous prospect of a lengthy stay on the Mexican side of the border: In 2022 more than 2,000 migrants were kidnapped by drug cartels, according to Mexican authorities, and 40 died while under detention at a government facility.