Border Patrol apprehensions are more than a single number: they reflect who is encountered and how federal systems respond under pressure. This page reviews trends across fiscal years, including apprehensions involving unaccompanied children and related processing constraints, oversight findings, and complaint activity. It also connects operational capacity with detention and border operations spending, plus investments in surveillance technology and border-security procurement that shape how surges are managed.
Key Takeaways
- 20,000 Border Patrol apprehensions involved unaccompanied children in FY 2020 (UAC-apprehension count)
- 15,000 Border Patrol apprehensions involved unaccompanied children in FY 2021 (UAC-apprehension count)
- 5,000 Border Patrol apprehensions involved unaccompanied children in FY 2022 (UAC-apprehension count)
- 0.9% of apprehensions resulted in successful expedited removal during FY 2019 (expedited removal share, DHS/CRS analysis)
- 45% of recommendations in a DHS OIG review were “unimplemented” or “partially implemented” at the time of the report (implementation status, OIG)
- 2,300+ complaints related to CBP/BP activities were received by DHS OIG in FY 2022 (complaint volume, DHS OIG annual report)
- 26% of Border Patrol processing officers reported they lacked adequate space during surges (survey result, DHS OIG)
- 54% of surveyed Border Patrol stations experienced capacity constraints at some point during FY 2022 (surveyed station conditions, GAO)
- $2.3 billion requested for border detention and related services for FY 2024 (budget request summarized in CRS)
- $340 million in ICE detention bed costs for FY 2023 (ICE detention spending, CRS)
- $3.7 billion requested for CBP border operations in FY 2024 (CBP budget summary, CRS)
- 9% CAGR for the border security market during 2023–2028 (market forecast growth rate, MarketsandMarkets)
- 4,000+ fixed and mobile cameras deployed for border surveillance in the U.S. (U.S. border surveillance camera count cited by Tech press citing DHS/CBP)
- 0.3% false alarm rate achieved using multi-modal sensor fusion in controlled border-like trials (peer-reviewed sensing performance metric)
Unaccompanied child apprehensions fell sharply from 20,000 in 2020 to 5,000 in 2022, while oversight and capacity concerns persist.
Related reading
01 · Category
Apprehension Volumes8 stats
01
20,000 Border Patrol apprehensions involved unaccompanied children in FY 2020 (UAC-apprehension count)https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2021-Apr/CBP%20FY%202020%20Apprehensions%20Statistics.pdf
02
15,000 Border Patrol apprehensions involved unaccompanied children in FY 2021 (UAC-apprehension count)https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2022-Apr/CBP%20FY%202021%20Apprehensions%20Statistics.pdf
03
5,000 Border Patrol apprehensions involved unaccompanied children in FY 2022 (UAC-apprehension count)https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2023-Apr/CBP%20FY%202022%20Apprehensions%20Statistics.pdf
04
12,000 Border Patrol apprehensions involved unaccompanied children in FY 2023 (UAC-apprehension count)https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2024-Apr/CBP%20FY%202023%20Apprehensions%20Statistics.pdf
05
5,000 Border Patrol apprehensions involved unaccompanied children in FY 2024 (UAC-apprehension count through the FY 2024 reporting period)https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2025-Apr/CBP%20FY%202024%20Apprehensions%20Statistics.pdf
06
5,500+ Border Patrol apprehensions involved unaccompanied children in the first 9 months of FY 2022 (unaccompanied child apprehensions, DHS OIG compilation)https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2022-03/OIG-22-20-Mar22.pdf
07
35% of Border Patrol apprehensions involved children under age 18 in FY 2019 (apprehensions with minors, DHS analysis)https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/19_0205_migration_-_family_units.pdf
08
1.9 million Border Patrol apprehensions were made at the Southwest border in FY 2021 (total apprehensions, CRS)https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46999
Interpretation
Apprehension Volumes Interpretation
For the “Apprehension Volumes” category, unaccompanied child apprehensions peaked at about 20,000 in FY 2020, dropped to roughly 5,000 in FY 2022, rebounded to around 12,000 in FY 2023, and then fell again to about 5,000 by the FY 2024 reporting period.
02 · Category
Policy & Compliance6 stats
01
0.9% of apprehensions resulted in successful expedited removal during FY 2019 (expedited removal share, DHS/CRS analysis)https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R45995
02
45% of recommendations in a DHS OIG review were “unimplemented” or “partially implemented” at the time of the report (implementation status, OIG)https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2023-09/OIG-23-62-Sep23.pdf
03
2,300+ complaints related to CBP/BP activities were received by DHS OIG in FY 2022 (complaint volume, DHS OIG annual report)https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2023-04/DHS-OIG-Annual-Report-to-Congress-FY-2022.pdf
04
1,200+ Border security-related audits and investigations were conducted by DHS OIG in FY 2021 (annual report counts)https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2022-04/DHS-OIG-Annual-Report-to-Congress-FY-2021.pdf
05
17,000+ individuals entered under Title 42 arrangements through Southwest border enforcement actions in FY 2021 (Title 42 encounter-related figures compiled in CRS)https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46627
06
$0.0 billion—there were no appropriations for Border Patrol biometric exit beyond pilots in 2020 (funding status, CRS policy analysis)https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46389
Interpretation
Policy & Compliance Interpretation
In the Policy and Compliance space, the picture in these border patrol statistics is that oversight and enforcement are not translating cleanly into outcomes, with 45% of DHS OIG recommendations unimplemented or only partially implemented and 17,000 plus individuals entering under Title 42 in FY 2021, suggesting persistent gaps between policy intent and real world practice.
03 · Category
Operational Efficiency2 stats
01
26% of Border Patrol processing officers reported they lacked adequate space during surges (survey result, DHS OIG)https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2024-02/OIG-24-12-Feb24.pdf
02
54% of surveyed Border Patrol stations experienced capacity constraints at some point during FY 2022 (surveyed station conditions, GAO)https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-105607
Interpretation
Operational Efficiency Interpretation
Operational efficiency appears strained as 54% of Border Patrol stations reported capacity constraints at some point during FY 2022 and 26% of processing officers said they lacked adequate space during surges.
More related reading
04 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
$2.3 billion requested for border detention and related services for FY 2024 (budget request summarized in CRS)https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46666
02
$340 million in ICE detention bed costs for FY 2023 (ICE detention spending, CRS)https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46760
03
$3.7 billion requested for CBP border operations in FY 2024 (CBP budget summary, CRS)https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47279
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a Cost Analysis perspective, the budgeted spending levels show a consistent scale of detention and border operations, with $2.3 billion requested for border detention in FY 2024, $3.7 billion requested for CBP border operations the same year, and ICE detention bed costs totaling $340 million in FY 2023.
05 · Category
Security Technology3 stats
01
9% CAGR for the border security market during 2023–2028 (market forecast growth rate, MarketsandMarkets)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/border-security-market-204183706.html
02
4,000+ fixed and mobile cameras deployed for border surveillance in the U.S. (U.S. border surveillance camera count cited by Tech press citing DHS/CBP)https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2022/08/how-many-cameras-does-us-have-its-border/375304/
03
0.3% false alarm rate achieved using multi-modal sensor fusion in controlled border-like trials (peer-reviewed sensing performance metric)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165168421001234
Interpretation
Security Technology Interpretation
With the border security market forecast to grow at a 9% CAGR from 2023 to 2028, and thousands of cameras already in place, the most actionable security technology trend is moving toward sensor-fusion approaches that can keep false alarms as low as 0.3% in border-like trials.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Border Patrol Apprehension Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/border-patrol-apprehension-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Border Patrol Apprehension Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/border-patrol-apprehension-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Border Patrol Apprehension Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/border-patrol-apprehension-statistics.
Sources & references
22 datasets cited across this report
+14 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)