USCIRF Calls for President Donald J. Trump to Raise FoRB Prisoners With President Xi
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 -- The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued the following news release on Sept. 14, 2026:
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USCIRF Calls for President Donald J. Trump to Raise FoRB Prisoners with President Xi
Washington, DC - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) encourages President Donald J. Trump to continue his efforts for the release of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) prisoners--as well as for the cessation of religious persecution by the Chinese government--during the planned summit with President Xi Jinping on September 24, 2026.
"President
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 -- The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued the following news release on Sept. 14, 2026:
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USCIRF Calls for President Donald J. Trump to Raise FoRB Prisoners with President Xi
Washington, DC - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) encourages President Donald J. Trump to continue his efforts for the release of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) prisoners--as well as for the cessation of religious persecution by the Chinese government--during the planned summit with President Xi Jinping on September 24, 2026.
"PresidentTrump boldly demonstrated to President Xi during their meeting in Beijing earlier this year that the United States stands for religious freedom by calling for the release of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) prisoners," said Chair Asif Mahmood. "Speaking up again sends a clear and consistent signal that religious freedom for all is a priority for the United States and that it expects the CCP to respect its population rather than persecute millions for practicing their faith."
Following a direct appeal by President Trump to his Chinese counterpart during the U.S.-China Summit in Beijing in May, Chinese authorities freed Pastor Ezra Jin of the Zion Church in July and permitted him to relocate to the United States and reunite with his family. However, eight Zion Church leaders, who CCP authorities arrested alongside Pastor Ezra Jin, remain detained. These pastors include Wang Lin, Yin Huibin, Wang Cong, Lin Shucheng, Liu Zhenbin, Gao Yingjia, Elder Wang Zhong, and Wu Qiuyu. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a crackdown on Christian house churches in 2025, during which police arrested Pastor Jin along with dozens of others.
"In releasing Pastor Jin, President Xi showed that he has the power to release FoRB prisoners if he so desires--and indeed he has an obligation to do so under international law," said Vice Chair CeCe Heil. "USCIRF again asks President Trump to seize the opportunity during his upcoming summit with President Xi to call for the release of Gulshan Abbas, Ekpar Asat, Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife Pang Yu, Jimmy Lai, the Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family. USCIRF also asks President Trump to urge the Chinese government to provide a passport to U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident, Pastor John Cao and allow him to reunite with his family and seek urgent medical treatment in the United States."
USCIRF recommended in its 2026 Annual Report that the U.S. Department of State redesignate China as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. USCIRF raised China's abysmal religious freedom conditions during its "FoRB Violations Against Christians Abroad" hearing in January and in its "China's Codification and Escalation of the 'Sinicization of Religion'" publication in May.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion or belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at media@USCIRF.gov.
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Original text here: https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-calls-president-donald-j-trump-raise-forb-prisoners-president
Secretary of State Rubio Issues Statement on Guatemala National Day
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 -- The U.S. State Department issued the following news release:
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Guatemala National Day
Press Statement
Marco Rubio, Secretary of State
September 15, 2026
On behalf of the United States, I congratulate the people of Guatemala as you celebrate your Independence Day and another year of progress in our partnership.
Under President Bernardo Arevalo's leadership, we achieved significant milestones together this year: a historic reciprocal trade agreement opening new markets for our farmers, manufacturers, and workers; a five-year global health Memorandum of Understanding
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 -- The U.S. State Department issued the following news release:
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Guatemala National Day
Press Statement
Marco Rubio, Secretary of State
September 15, 2026
On behalf of the United States, I congratulate the people of Guatemala as you celebrate your Independence Day and another year of progress in our partnership.
Under President Bernardo Arevalo's leadership, we achieved significant milestones together this year: a historic reciprocal trade agreement opening new markets for our farmers, manufacturers, and workers; a five-year global health Memorandum of Understandingthrough the Trump Administration's America First Global Health Strategy; and expanded economic cooperation in critical infrastructure. Underpinning this progress is our steadfast security cooperation, disrupting cartels and fentanyl traffickers, and building one of our hemisphere's most extensive migration partnerships.
This is just the beginning, as the United States and Guatemala continue building a safer and more prosperous future together.
Original text here: https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesman/2026/09/guatemala-national-day-2/
SEC Charges Founder and His Two New Jersey-Based Companies in Alleged $16 Million Ponzi Scheme
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following litigation release:
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Securities and Exchange Commission v. Ernest Ossei Boateng, et al., No. 26-cv-5605 (E.D.N.Y. filed Sept. 10, 2026)
On September 10, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Ernest Ossei Boateng and two New Jersey-based companies he controls, Intercontinental Wealth Network LLC and I Wealth Network LP, for allegedly raising approximately $16 million from more than 200 inexperienced investors through a Ponzi scheme he operated from at least January 2020 until at least March
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following litigation release:
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Securities and Exchange Commission v. Ernest Ossei Boateng, et al., No. 26-cv-5605 (E.D.N.Y. filed Sept. 10, 2026)
On September 10, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Ernest Ossei Boateng and two New Jersey-based companies he controls, Intercontinental Wealth Network LLC and I Wealth Network LP, for allegedly raising approximately $16 million from more than 200 inexperienced investors through a Ponzi scheme he operated from at least January 2020 until at least March2026.
According to the SEC's complaint, Boateng, acting through his two companies, solicited, recommended, and sold interests in an alleged investment fund, primarily targeting Christians of Ghanaian heritage in New York and New Jersey, many of whom had no prior investing experience. The complaint alleges that Boateng told investors that their investments would generate guaranteed fixed returns and that the investment fund would pursue a low-risk investment strategy. Rather than investing the money as promised, however, Boateng allegedly misappropriated more than $5.8 million for his personal expenses, including the purchase, renovation, and furnishing of his home. Boateng also allegedly used approximately $6.6 million to make Ponzi-like payments to earlier investors. The complaint further alleges that, to the limited extent Boateng did invest the money, he failed to do so in low-risk investments with fixed returns. Instead, according to the complaint, Boateng used investor money to engage in high-risk, speculative day-trading, leading to more than $750,000 in trading losses.
The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, charges Boateng, Intercontinental, and I Wealth with violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Boateng and Intercontinental with violating Sections 206(1), 206(2), and 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder. The complaint seeks permanent injunctive relief, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains with pre-judgment interest, and civil penalties against all of the defendants, as well as conduct-based injunctions against Boateng and Intercontinental.
The SEC's investigation was conducted by Elizabeth Butler, Elizabeth Rosen, and Melissa Coppola under the supervision of Alison Conn and Thomas P. Smith, Jr. of the SEC's New York Regional Office. The litigation will be led by Todd Brody under the supervision of Jack Kaufman.
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Resources
* SEC Complaint (https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/complaints/2026/comp26639.pdf)
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Original text here: https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-26639
SBA Announces Suspensions for 870,000 U.S. Borrowers Tied to $39 Billion In Suspected Pandemic Fraud
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 -- The Small Business Administration issued the following news release on Sept. 14, 2026:
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SBA Announces Suspensions for 870,000 U.S. Borrowers Tied to $39 Billion In Suspected Pandemic Fraud
Largest SBA action extends nationwide crackdown to recover funds and hold fraudsters accountable
WASHINGTON -- Today, during a major fraud announcement in Kansas City, Missouri, alongside Vice President JD Vance, Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler announced that the U.S. Small
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 -- The Small Business Administration issued the following news release on Sept. 14, 2026:
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SBA Announces Suspensions for 870,000 U.S. Borrowers Tied to $39 Billion In Suspected Pandemic Fraud
Largest SBA action extends nationwide crackdown to recover funds and hold fraudsters accountable
WASHINGTON -- Today, during a major fraud announcement in Kansas City, Missouri, alongside Vice President JD Vance, Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler announced that the U.S. SmallBusiness Administration (SBA) suspended 870,000 U.S. borrowers connected to an estimated $39 billion in suspected fraudulent pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) activity. The nationwide action marks the culmination of the SBA's state-by-state pandemic-fraud crackdown as a member of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. It is the agency's largest suspension announcement to date, representing action against borrowers in 45 new states, six territories, and the District of Columbia.
The SBA previously announced suspensions of more than 150,000 borrowers tied to approximately $10 billion in suspected PPP and COVID EIDL fraud across five states: California, Ohio, Minnesota, Maine, and Wisconsin. Suspended borrowers are prohibited from receiving future SBA small-business and disaster loans and are ineligible for other SBA programs, including federal contracting through the 8(a) Business Development Program.
"Today's announcement represents the largest-ever action against perpetrators of SBA fraud, with 870,000 suspended borrowers tied to $39 billion in suspected fraudulent PPP and COVID EIDL activity. In partnership with Vice President Vance and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, we're putting fraudsters on notice: the federal government will no longer turn a blind eye to those who stole from taxpayers and exploited programs designed to sustain small businesses during the pandemic," said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. "With demand letters going out to suspected fraudsters, we're also sending a clear message that they must repay their debts or face Treasury collections and possible federal law enforcement. Under this Administration, the free ride is over. We are restoring accountability, recovering taxpayer dollars, and protecting SBA programs for the legitimate small businesses they were created to serve."
During today's announcement, top officials from the U.S. Department of Justice also announced a slate of enforcement actions against alleged PPP and COVID EIDL fraudsters, including numerous indictments secured as part of Operation Heartland Surge.
"Pandemic loan relief was meant to keep American small businesses alive during government lockdowns--not line the pockets of fraudsters," said Attorney General Todd Blanche. "The defendants charged during our summer surge allegedly fabricated businesses, submitted false payroll and revenue claims, stole identities, and concealed foreign ties on their applications-- but they will now be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
"This summer surge shows what is possible when dedicated public servants across the country work together with a single purpose," said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. "Our mission is clear: protect taxpayer funds, safeguard the integrity of federal relief programs, and deliver justice to those who exploited them. We will remain steadfast every day--standing shoulder to shoulder with our partners--to identify fraud, pursue those responsible, and restore confidence in the programs meant to help American small businesses thrive."
"Fraudsters took advantage of this country's generosity when we were most vulnerable. It is disgraceful. Although the previous administration looked the other way, President Trump and Vice President Vance won't. Fraudsters take note: We're coming after you," said Scott Brady, Executive Director of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
In a separate enforcement action, the SBA and its Office of the Inspector General, led by William Kirk, also announced that it is launching "Operation No Doze." Under the operation, the SBA will send final 30-day demand letters to suspected fraudulent PPP and COVID EIDL borrowers, starting with approximately 8,000 in Kansas and Missouri. The letters will demand repayment of debt associated with the flagged loans and notify recipients of the consequences of failing to resolve their obligations within the required timeframe. The SBA previously referred more than 560,000 suspected fraudulent pandemic-era borrowers tied to $22 billion in loans to Treasury for collection.
"Operation No Doze brings a focused and coordinated approach to pursuing fraud in SBA's pandemic relief programs," said SBA Inspector General William Kirk. "By concentrating our investigative resources and working closely with SBA and our law enforcement partners, we are strengthening our ability to identify fraud, recover taxpayer funds, and hold accountable those who exploited programs created to help small businesses in a time of extraordinary need. This initiative makes clear that the passage of time does not diminish our commitment to accountability."
Borrowers who fail to remit full payment within the 30-day period may face further legal and financial consequences, including:
* Enforcement under the Administrative False Claims Act, which may subject fraudulent borrowers to liability of up to double the government's damages, plus administrative penalties.
* Referral to the U.S. Department of Justice for further legal action, as appropriate.
* Transfer of delinquent debts to the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service Cross Servicing Program for collection. Such transfers may result in added interest and collection fees of up to 28 percent.
* Offset through the Treasury Offset Program against certain federal payments, including tax refunds, contractor and vendor payments, federal salaries, and Social Security and other benefit payments.
Today's nationwide suspensions and the launch of "Operation No Doze" represent the latest phase of the SBA's comprehensive effort to identify pandemic-era fraud, recover improperly obtained taxpayer funds, and protect SBA programs for legitimate American small businesses.
The state-by-state breakdown of SBA suspensions is listed in the chart below:
State or Territory ... # of Borrowers ... Approval Amount (PPP and COVID EIDL)
AE ... 1 ... 20,000
AK ... 1,124 ... 76,033,426
AL ... 18,075 ... 601,154,084
AR ... 7,645 ... 261,138,742
AS ... 54 ... 5,523,362
AZ ... 17,450 ... 703,554,520
CO ... 10,138 ... 558,956,242
CT ... 6,803 ... 371,441,675
DC ... 3,007 ... 213,823,950
DE ... 3,462 ... 141,383,439
FL ... 118,167 ... 5,319,530,419
GA ... 85,975 ... 2,710,041,490
GU ... 167 ... 19,209,936
HI ... 2,422 ... 190,518,327
IA ... 4,942 ... 258,030,316
ID ... 2,832 ... 133,496,050
IL ... 96,128 ... 2,909,962,346
IN ... 15,114 ... 539,119,923
KS ... 4,631 ... 250,239,138
KY ... 5,788 ... 277,587,916
LA ... 26,739 ... 895,043,284
MA ... 13,896 ... 772,230,623
MD ... 17,591 ... 850,869,098
MI ... 30,923 ... 1,235,825,824
MO ... 12,425 ... 540,957,410
MP ... 44 ... 3,483,899
MS ... 14,310 ... 471,880,351
MT ... 1,379 ... 85,661,663
NC ... 22,439 ... 929,341,675
ND ... 1,201 ... 74,953,824
NE ... 2,789 ... 167,723,735
NH ... 2,015 ... 92,706,877
NJ ... 24,609 ... 1,702,656,648
NM ... 2,383 ... 151,969,959
NV ... 14,387 ... 606,438,644
NY ... 75,451 ... 4,971,935,141
OK ... 8,112 ... 382,313,769
OR ... 5,831 ... 297,086,228
PA ... 24,492 ... 1,190,494,358
PR ... 3,015 ... 222,123,839
RI ... 2,658 ... 111,626,070
SC ... 13,052 ... 466,236,010
SD ... 1,452 ... 105,788,071
TN ... 19,373 ... 759,527,301
TX ... 88,831 ... 4,254,915,121
UT ... 3,685 ... 312,917,744
VA ... 15,485 ... 817,480,521
VI ... 249 ... 15,589,341
VT ... 977 ... 40,355,923
WA ... 13,393 ... 645,275,413
WV ... 2,151 ... 117,919,918
WY ... 1,366 ... 92,265,052
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
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Original text here: https://legacy.sba.gov/article/2026/09/14/sba-announces-suspensions-870000-us-borrowers-tied-39-billion-suspected-pandemic-fraud
Bureau of Transportation Statistics: Mid-Year 2026 Border Crossing Data Release
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics issued the following news:
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Mid-Year 2026 Border Crossing Data Release
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has released Border Crossing data compiled for July 2026. Coverage includes trucks, buses, trains, personal vehicles, and pedestrians entering the U.S. by land from Canada and Mexico. In July 2026, personal vehicles entering the U.S. from Canada rose 9.4% from July 2025 to 2,124,296, and the passengers they carried rose 11.0% to 4,506,146. On the southern border, personal vehicles
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics issued the following news:
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Mid-Year 2026 Border Crossing Data Release
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has released Border Crossing data compiled for July 2026. Coverage includes trucks, buses, trains, personal vehicles, and pedestrians entering the U.S. by land from Canada and Mexico. In July 2026, personal vehicles entering the U.S. from Canada rose 9.4% from July 2025 to 2,124,296, and the passengers they carried rose 11.0% to 4,506,146. On the southern border, personal vehiclesentering from Mexico fell 1.6% to 6,240,982 and pedestrians rose 0.8% to 3,570,046. Trucks entering from Canada fell 2.4% to 439,429, while trucks entering from Mexico were essentially unchanged at 650,466. Commercial truck traffic remains stable year-round to support consistent cross-border supply chain demand, while passenger and pedestrian traffic exhibit seasonal volatility. Personal travel volumes peak during the summer months and decline in the winter, contrasting with the steady flow of economy-related industrial trade.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup was played across the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June to July 2026, with Toronto and Vancouver hosting matches in Canada. The remainder of this report focuses on cross-border travel during the FIFA World Cup, showing how crossing volumes at ports along the main fan corridors to host cities responded during the tournament window.
Passenger travel from Canada ran well above 2025 levels through the tournament and in the months leading up to it, as visitors arrived ahead of the opening matches. Personal vehicle crossings from Canada were 7.6% below 2025 levels over the first three months of the year, then rose 10.7% in April and 13.0% in May as arrivals began building. They remained 8.2% above 2025 in June and 9.4% above in July while the tournament was underway, and the passengers they carried rose 8.8% and 11.0% over the same two months. The ports carrying the main corridors to the host cities moved with the border as a whole rather than apart from it. Vehicle crossings in June rose 10.4% at Buffalo Niagara Falls on the corridor to Toronto, 7.4% at Detroit, and 7.6% at the Washington State ports serving Vancouver, against 8.2% border-wide.
Pedestrians entering from Canada rose 23.4% in May and 83.5% in June and are estimated to have remained 60.3% above 2025 levels in July. The increase is concentrated at Buffalo Niagara Falls, the principal pedestrian gateway on the corridor to Toronto, where crossings rose 32.1% in April, 73.6% in May and 168.8% in June. Pedestrian volumes at the remaining northern border ports were below 2025 levels over the same months. Buses entering from Canada fell 24.5% in July and the passengers they carried fell 23.6%, though the decline is concentrated at Skagway, Alaska, a cruise gateway unrelated to the tournament corridors. Excluding that port, bus passengers rose 8.7%, indicating that group travel grew alongside private vehicle crossings.
For full coverage of this data, please visit the border crossing data homepage (https://data.bts.gov/stories/s/jswi-2e7b).
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TABLE: U.S.-Canada Border: Monthly Crossings by Truck 2025-2026
TABLE: U.S.-Canada Border: Monthly Crossings by Buses 2025-2026
TABLE: U.S.-Canada Border: Monthly Crossings by Trains 2025-2026
TABLE: U.S.-Canada Border: Monthly Crossings by Personal Vehicles 2025-2026
TABLE: U.S.-Canada Border: Monthly Crossings by Pedestrians 2025-2026
TABLE: U.S.-Canada Border: Monthly Crossings by Bus Passengers 2025-2026
TABLE: U.S.-Canada Border: Monthly Crossings by Train Passengers 2025-2026
TABLE: U.S.-Canada Border: Monthly Crossings by Personal Vehicle Passengers 2025-2026
TABLE: U.S.-Mexico Border: Monthly Crossings by Trucks 2025-2026
TABLE: U.S.-Mexico Border: Monthly Crossings by Buses 2025-2026
TABLE: U.S.-Mexico Border: Monthly Crossings by Trains 2025-2026
TABLE: U.S.-Mexico Border: Monthly Crossings by Personal Vehicles 2025-2026
TABLE: U.S.-Mexico Border: Monthly Crossings by Pedestrians 2025-2026
TABLE: U.S.-Mexico Border: Monthly Crossings by Bus Passengers 2025-2026
TABLE: U.S.-Mexico Border: Monthly Crossings by Train Passengers 2025-2026
TABLE: U.S.-Mexico Border: Monthly Crossings by Personal Vehicle Passengers 2025-2026
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The BTS Border Crossing Data provide summary statistics for inbound crossings at the U.S.-Canada and the U.S.-Mexico border at the port level. Data are available for trucks, trains, containers, buses, personal vehicles, passengers, and pedestrians. Border crossing data are collected at ports of entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The data reflect the number of vehicles, containers, passengers, and pedestrians entering the United States through CBP facilities. CBP does not collect comparable data on outbound crossings. BTS also does not collect data about the size or number of seats per bus. Users seeking more detailed data such as outbound counts may therefore want to review information from individual bridge operators, border state governments, or the Mexican and Canadian governments.
* Full database
* Frequently Asked Questions
* Coverage, Availability, Definitions and Notes
* CBP Port Locator Tool
* Border Wait Time Data
* CBP Title 8 Apprehensions, Title 8 Inadmissible, and Title 42 Expulsions
* CBP Public Data Portal
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Original text here: https://www.bts.gov/data-spotlight/mid-year-2026-border-crossing-data-release
Bureau of Transportation Statistics: June 2026 U.S. Airline Traffic Data Down 1.4% From the Same Month Last Year
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics issued the following news:
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June 2026 U.S. Airline Traffic Data Down 1.4% from the Same Month Last Year
This release is published on a fixed schedule as required by the Office of Management and Budget, and statistics in this release may be revised when inputs to the statistics are corrected or updated. Data on the program page of this website are the most up-to-date and complete.
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U.S. airlines carried 87.5 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics issued the following news:
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June 2026 U.S. Airline Traffic Data Down 1.4% from the Same Month Last Year
This release is published on a fixed schedule as required by the Office of Management and Budget, and statistics in this release may be revised when inputs to the statistics are corrected or updated. Data on the program page of this website are the most up-to-date and complete.
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U.S. airlines carried 87.5 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers inJune 2026, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). When adjusted for seasonality, June enplanements are down 0.4% from May and down 3.7% from the all-time high reached in June 2024.
BTS reported 75.5 million domestic passengers and 12 million international passengers on U.S. airlines flights in June, not adjusting for seasonality.
U.S. airline traffic reports are filed monthly with BTS. See the tables that accompany this release on the BTS website for summary data since 2016 (Tables 1-24) and complete data since 2000.
Trends (not seasonally adjusted) in U.S. airlines passenger enplanements
May unadjusted
* Systemwide enplanements (87.5M) were down 2.5% from the all-time June high (89.7) reached in 2024.
* Domestic enplanements (75.5M) were down 2.2% from the all-time June high (77.2) reached in 2024.
* International enplanements (12.0M) were down 4.4% from the all-time June high (12.5) reached in 2024.
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Table A. Unadjusted Passenger Enplanements Compared to Previous Time Periods
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Seasonally adjusted trends in U.S. airlines passenger enplanements
May seasonally adjusted
* Systemwide enplanements (80.1M) were down 3.7% from the all-time high of 83.2 million reached in June 2024.
* Domestic enplanements (69.6M) were down 3.8% from the all-time high of 72.3 million reached in June 2024.
* International enplanements (10.5M) were down 4.9% from the all-time high of 11.1 million reached in December 2024.
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Table B. Seasonally Adjusted Passenger Enplanements Compared to Previous Time Periods
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For data filed through April, see accompanying tables. For the complete database of reported data, see Traffic. For an explanation of BTS' seasonal adjustment methodology, see Seasonal Adjustment.
Reporting Notes
Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial U.S. air carriers detailing operations, passenger traffic and freight traffic. This release includes data received by BTS from 63 U.S. carriers as of August 4 for U.S. carrier scheduled civilian operations.
See the BTS Airlines and Airports page for additional scheduled service numbers through April for U.S. airlines. International data by origin and destination is available through January. International totals in this press release consist of all U.S. carrier operations to and from the U.S. and from one foreign point to another foreign point. BTS' Airlines and Airports page does not include U.S. carriers' foreign point-to-point flights.
BTS has scheduled October 9, 2026 for the release of data through July.
None of the data is from samples. Measures of statistical significance do not apply to the complete air traffic data.
BTS separately releases preliminary enplanement estimates. Unlike the monthly air traffic releases, which are calculated from U.S. carrier scheduled civilian operations, the preliminary estimates are forecasted from data including all carriers and unscheduled service, with a total estimate of 99.5M passengers for June 2026. Using only the U.S. carrier scheduled service figures, BTS' preliminary estimates for June 2026 were 88.1M passengers, which was over 98% accurate.
Missing Carrier: (RVQ) Reeve Air Alaska, LLC, (V8) Iliamna Air Taxi, (2E) Smokey Bay Air Inc.,
(YR) Grand Canyon Airlines, Inc. d/b/a Grand Canyon Airlines d/b/a Scenic Airlines, (ELL) Ellis Air Taxi Inc.
To receive updates from BTS directly to your email, please consider subscribing to our GovDelivery service.
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Original text here: https://www.bts.gov/newsroom/june-2026-us-airline-traffic-data-down-14-same-month-last-year
