The number of single adults encountered at the border is headed off the charts, representing most of the Southwest border encounters.
See the black line below, which represents the 2021 numbers.
The total number of border “enforcement encounters” in February was more than double last years, more than quadruple the number from February 2017, and far surpassed a spike that happened in February 2019.
The top back line on the chart below represents the 2021 numbers.
So far, this fiscal year (which began in October 2020), there were nearly 400,000 “enforcement encounters” by February’s end.
That five month period surpasses the 12 month total figure for each of the previous four years.
The black line on the chart below represents the 2021 numbers regarding “Unaccompanied Alien Children,” or UACs, and “Single Minors.” UACs are underage children who may come with a group, but nobody in the group is a parent.
The February total far surpasses the previous four years and is more than quadruple February 2017.
The subset of “Family Unit Aliens” intercepted, or who turn themselves in, is a smaller subset of the total than it was in a 2019 crush, but quickly outpaced February of 2017, 2018, and 2020. The black line below represents 2021.
The proportion of single males encountered at the border in 2021 is represented by the tall blue bars below.