Unlawful Migrant Crossings at US Southern Border Decline for Fifth Month.
The number of unlawful crossings by migrants at the US southern border has fallen for the fifth consecutive month, according to official data.
In July, US Border Patrol agents apprehended approximately 57,000 migrants, marking the lowest total since September 2020. This figure represents a significant decrease from December, when around 250,000 migrants were caught trying to enter the country.
President Joe Biden’s administration attributes this decline to recent measures aimed at addressing illegal immigration, a critical issue for Democrats in the upcoming election year.
“This is the result of several actions this administration has taken,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during a CBS interview this week. He noted that one of these actions includes an executive order signed by President Biden last month, which allows immigration officials to deport migrants without processing their asylum claims.
This measure has been described as one of the most restrictive border policies enacted by a Democratic president in recent times and has faced criticism from some progressive members of the party. At the time of the order, President Biden stated that it would “help us gain control of our border” and emphasized that “doing nothing is not an option.”
Government data indicates that the number of migrants apprehended at the US-Mexico border had already been decreasing prior to the executive order. Border Patrol reported 141,000 apprehensions in February, followed by 137,000 in March, 129,000 in April, 118,000 in May, and 84,000 in June.
These figures do not include official border crossings, where the Biden administration is processing around 1,500 migrants daily through a smartphone app that schedules appointments with US border agents.
Mexican officials are also taking steps to reduce illegal migration, including preventing people from attempting to cross into the US.
The situation at the southern border has been a political challenge for the Biden administration as the November election approaches. President Biden has faced criticism from Republicans, including the party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump, who claimed last month that the president had “surrendered our southern border.”
In response, President Biden accused Trump and his allies of making an “extremely cynical political move” by pressuring Republican politicians to block a proposed border plan in Congress earlier this year.