“Encounters” between the US Customs & Border Patrol and illegal immigrants jumped 37% in fiscal year 2022, from 1.7 million encounters in 2021 to 2.4 million encounters in 2022. Data through March of fiscal year 2023 shows a 10% increase year over year. When you consider that the entire metro area of Portland, Oregon has 2.2 million people living in it, attempts to cross the border effectively create a new metropolis in America each year.