How do CBP 'encounters', 'apprehensions', 'gotaways', and ICE removals differ and which datasets cover each?
Executive summary
CBP “encounters” is a catch‑all category created by Customs and Border Protection that aggregates different contact types — USBP Title 8 apprehensions, OFO Title 8 inadmissibles at ports of entry, and Title 42 expulsions — and is published in CBP encounter tables (Nationwide and Southwest border) and OHSS extracts (CBP Encounters) [1] [2] [3]. “Apprehensions” are a narrower operational term meaning physical control or temporary detainment by U.S. Border Patrol of someone between ports of entry and are tracked in USBP apprehension datasets and CBP Enforcement Statistics [4] [5]. “Gotaways” are not direct CBP encounters but modeled or estimated counts of people believed to have entered unlawfully without being encountered; DHS produces estimates that appear in analytical reports and external fact checks but they do not appear as a line item in CBP encounter CSV exports [6] [7]. ICE removals are enforcement outcomes carried out by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and are reported separately in DHS/ICE removal tables and OHSS monthly enforcement tables, not as part of CBP’s encounter CSVs [8] [9].
1. How CBP defines and reports “encounters”
CBP states that its encounter figures consolidate multiple event types: U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) Title 8 apprehensions, Office of Field Operations (OFO) Title 8 inadmissibles at ports of entry, and Title 42 expulsions for the pandemic-era period, and those consolidated totals are presented on the Nationwide and Southwest Land Border Encounters pages as well as the CBP Enforcement Statistics hub [1] [2] [10]. The OHSS feed that repackages CBP data describes the encounter unit as “CBP recorded encounters with removable aliens” and notes CSV extracts come from USBP BPETS and OFO BorderStat reporting systems [3].
2. What “apprehensions” mean operationally and in datasets
Apprehensions refer specifically to the physical control or temporary detainment of a person by the U.S. Border Patrol between ports of entry; that definition is how USBP apprehensions are counted in CBP’s enforcement statistics and in the agency’s database exports [4] [5]. CBP’s monthly and fiscal‑year tables separate USBP apprehensions by sector and citizenship and flag that, beginning in March FY2020, USBP counts were reported alongside Title 42 expulsions in encounter aggregates [4] [5].
3. Who or what are “gotaways,” and where the numbers come from
“Gotaways” denotes people estimated to have crossed the border without encountering CBP personnel; they are not a direct encounter or arrest record but an administrative or model‑based estimate appearing in DHS analytical products and third‑party fact checks citing DHS estimates (for example, a DHS estimate for FY2021 referenced by FactCheck) [6] [7]. CBP’s encounter CSVs and OHSS encounter extracts do not list a discrete “gotaway” event because gotaways, by definition, leave no CBP event record; DHS or internal Border Patrol models are the source when officials report gotaway estimates [7] [6].
4. ICE removals: a separate enforcement stream with its own tables
Removals performed by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations are distinct legal outcomes under Title 8 and are reported in ICE and DHS removal/returns tables and OHSS monthly enforcement tables — these are separate from CBP encounter tallies because removals reflect actions taken after CBP custody or after immigration proceedings and involve ICE administrative records [8] [9]. CBP reports repatriations and expulsions that occur directly from CBP custody (for example, OFO repatriations at airports) but full removal statistics are found in ICE/DHS removal datasets [11] [8].
5. How these datasets overlap, duplicate, or hide nuance
CBP encounter totals can double‑count people who are encountered more than once and aggregate multiple legal authorities (Title 8 vs. Title 42) into a single “encounters” number; OHSS explicitly warns its monthly tables count events and can count people multiple times across reporting periods [8] [3]. Beginning in FY2020, CBP consolidated Title 8 and Title 42 events in encounter reporting, which complicates year‑to‑year comparisons and public interpretation unless one parses the separate USBP, OFO, Title 8, and Title 42 breakout tables [1] [2].
6. Bottom line and reporting caveats
When parsing border numbers, treat “encounters” as an umbrella event count reported by CBP (including USBP apprehensions, OFO inadmissibles, and Title 42 expulsions), “apprehensions” as the subset that represents USBP physical detentions between ports of entry, “gotaways” as modelled estimates of successful evasion not present in encounter CSVs, and “ICE removals” as separate ICE/DHS outcomes tracked in ICE removal tables and OHSS removal reports [1] [4] [6] [8]. Public confusion arises because CBP encounter aggregates fold different legal processes together and because gotaways are estimated rather than recorded; readers and analysts should consult the underlying CBP sector/field office exports and ICE removal tables when seeking disaggregated policy or operational insight [3] [9].