Border Patrol Boosts ‘Bookout’ Targets to Juggle Migrant Surges

The Biden administration brags that illegal immigration numbers are dropping. While there was a brief reduction in June, shortly after Title 42 ended, the border is still overwhelmed with migrants and the volume is ticking up. In fact, the daily swarm of the undocumented trying to enter the United States has become so uncontrollable, the Border Patrol (BP) has requested “bookout” targets to manage the surge.

Border Patrol Overwhelmed

In a redacted email obtained by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office to BP field chiefs and deputies, under the subject heading “BP Encounters vs. Permanent Bookouts,” the agency claims daily encounters “[continue] to surpass the daily permanent bookouts and the in-custody numbers continue to rise creating significant risks to agents and detainees.” Furthermore, the missive warned, “This level of detention numbers has also resulted in increased manpower requirements impacting border security efforts.”

To juggle the high immigration numbers, “daily bookout targets” per sector based on seven-day averages are suggested. This includes boosting the number of migrants given Notices to Appear for a future court date when available, releasing them into the interior instead of holding them. “We respectfully request that you urgently use these bookout targets to formalize your daily processing pathway plans,” the email reads.

Florida is currently suing the administration for releasing migrants into the interior, and the email obtained by Moody’s office is part of that litigation. She claimed in a statement that the proposed move was the start of “mass release quotas” for migrants:

"This latest email is further proof of the disastrous cycle created by Biden’s intentional destruction of our border with Mexico. Biden cuts resources, opens the border, and then releases detainees while claiming there is not enough detention capacity to prevent the unprecedented flood of migrants entering the country because of his terrible policies.

"With every passing day it is becoming more obvious that the border crisis is being intentionally orchestrated by the Biden administration. We will continue to do everything in our power to push back and let the American people know what Biden is doing."

A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the agency has “merely directed sectors to process individuals faster into the range of immigration pathways available, in order to address increasing numbers of individuals in custody.”

Sources also told the outlet on Sept. 11 that BP has “apprehended more than 7,300 illegal immigrants (not including those who evaded custody or appeared at ports of entry). CBP now has over 22,000 migrants in custody.”

Crime is a growing concern as so many unvetted migrants are released into neighborhoods throughout the country. The Heritage Foundation noted in a June article that almost two-thirds of federal arrests involve noncitizens. “Since Biden took office, over 6.2 million illegal aliens have been encountered at the nation’s borders, and over 2 million of them have been released into the nation’s interior. A considerable number of them have engaged in criminal activities once they settled.”

Cities and states other than southern border territories are struggling to find housing and other essentials for the migrants, at astronomical cost to taxpayers. Chicago, for instance, is spending nearly $30 million a month on illegals, while more than 60,000 Chicagoans are homeless. Windy City Mayor Brandon Johnson has told his constituents that everyone will need to sacrifice to help support the immigrants, while New York City Mayor Eric Adams warned the influx of migrants would “destroy” the city he claimed “we’re about to lose.”

Immigrants sleeping in police stations in Chicago, taking over hotels across the country, costing millions of dollars per month, and making neighborhoods less safe as crime soars – and the Biden administration can’t process them fast enough.