Congressman Guest warns number of border encounters will soon surpass population of Mississippi

According to the 2020 census, the population of Mississippi stands at 2.982 million.

During a Committee on Homeland Security hearing, Congressman Michael Guest (MS-03) warned that the number of encounters on the southern border since President Biden took office will soon surpass the population of Mississippi.

According to a release from Congressman Guest’s office, it is expected that the May numbers will bring the total number of encounters to a total greater than the population of Mississippi. The population of the state stands at 2.982 million, according to the 2020 census.

“Total encounters under this [Biden] Administration, taking numbers since February of 2021, are 2,735,000 encounters — a number greater than the population of thirteen states — a number greater than the population of Vermont, Alaska, North and South Dakota, Delaware, Rhode Island, Montana, Maine, New Hampshire, Hawaii, West Virginia, Idaho, Nebraska, and New Mexico,” Congressman Guest said.

“At the current rate, next month it will eclipse three additional states, including my home state of Mississippi,” Guest continued.

In a tweet on Thursday, Guest said that U.S. border officials encountered 234,088 migrants attempting to enter the country illegally in April.

“That’s the highest number in Homeland Security history,” Guest said.

U.S. border officials encountered 234,088 migrants attempting to enter the country illegally in April.

That’s the highest number in Homeland Security history.

Meanwhile, the Biden Administration does nothing but ignore and block common-sense Republican solutions.

— Congressman Michael Guest (@RepMichaelGuest) May 19, 2022

Congressman Guest also joined Congresswoman Young Kim (CA-39) in the introduction of the Comprehensive Southern Border Strategy Act that would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary to submit a comprehensive southern border strategy to Congress.

“For over a year, the Biden Administration has targeted the legal and physical infrastructure that law enforcement agents rely upon to secure our southwest border and has continued to send mixed messages often interpreted by potential migrants that the border is open to any and all who wish to cross,” Guest said.

“Despite the chaos caused by the Biden Administration’s actions, the President, Vice President, and Biden-appointed DHS officials have refused to develop any actionable plan to address the border crisis. It’s time to hold them accountable to the American people,” he continued.

“The Comprehensive Southern Border Strategy Act will help better allocate resources to secure our border and equip our border patrol and CBP officers on the front lines with the tools they need to gain operational control of every mile of our U.S.-Mexico border,” Congresswoman Kim said. “We have a strategy for our Northern border, and it’s past time we have one for our Southern border.”