Asylum Seekers and Unaccompanied Alien Children at Ports of Entry: An Analysis of Processing and Processing Capacity

Between 2020 and 2024, increasing volumes of aliens sought entry at the southwest U.S. border without valid entry documents. The authors of this report present a congressionally requested analysis of the capacity of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Office of Field Operations for the "safe, humane, and orderly" processing of likely asylum seekers and unaccompanied alien children at ports of entry.