More criminals entering country, CBP data shows

The influx of criminal immigrants attempting to enter the United States has seen a significant spike in recent years, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In Fiscal Year 2024 alone, over 13,000 “criminal noncitizens” have been apprehended by Border Patrol agents, marking a stark increase from 4,269 in FY 2019.

What exactly is a “criminal noncitizen,” you may wonder? Well, as defined by CBP, these individuals are those who have a history of being convicted of one or more crimes, either within the United States or abroad, prior to being intercepted by the U.S. Border Patrol.

Prior to FY 2021, the number of border apprehensions of criminal noncitizens had been on the decline. In 2017, CBP recorded 8,531 cases, followed by 6,698 in 2018, 4,269 in 2019, and 2,438 in 2020. However, since then, the numbers have been steadily climbing, with 10,763 in 2021, 12,028 in 2022, and a staggering 15,267 in 2023, the most recent year with comprehensive data available.

Many of the criminal immigrants intercepted at the border this year have been found to have previous convictions for serious offenses. This includes 814 individuals with records of assault, battery, or domestic violence, 23 with histories of homicide or manslaughter, and 168 with sexual offense charges.

However, it is essential to note that the data presented does not capture the full extent of criminal aliens who may have successfully entered the country without detection or those who were released despite unclear criminal backgrounds. These cases have once again come under the national spotlight due to their severe implications.

One such case is that of Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, a 23-year-old illegal migrant from El Salvador who is accused of the rape and murder of Maryland resident Rachel Morin. Hernandez had made multiple attempts to illegally enter the U.S. after being linked to a similar crime in El Salvador. Unfortunately, his actions went undetected by border security until it was too late.

In a separate incident, two Venezuelan migrants, Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22, and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, are accused of the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in the Houston area. Despite their release with court dates, their criminal backgrounds in Venezuela remain unclear due to the lack of cooperation between the two governments in sharing information.

These cases serve as grim reminders of the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in addressing the issue of criminal immigrants entering the country and the need for strengthened border security measures and intergovernmental cooperation to prevent such tragedies from occurring.