WASHINGTON (AP) – Arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico plummeted 33 per cent in July to the lowest level since September 2020, a result of asylum being temporarily suspended, authorities said on Friday.
The Border Patrol made 56,408 arrests last month, down from 83,536 arrests in June, according to United States (US) Customs and Border Protection (CBP), its parent agency.
Asylum was halted at the border on June 5 because arrests for illegal crossings topped a threshold of 2,500 a day, though a lack of deportation flights prevents authorities from turning away everyone. US authorities said arrests dropped 55 per cent after the measure, which followed a steep decline earlier this year that was widely attributed to Mexican authorities increasing enforcement within their borders.
“In July, our border security measures enhanced our ability to deliver consequences for illegal entry,” said Acting CBP commissioner Troy Miller.
The numbers, which were roughly in line with preliminary estimates, may give Democrats some breathing room on an issue that has dogged them throughout Joe Biden’s presidency.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has taken effective action, and the Republicans continue to do nothing,” said White House spokesman Angelo Fernández Hernández. More than 38,000 people were admitted at land crossings through an online appointment system called CBP One, bringing the total to more than 765,000 since it was introduced in January 2023.
More than 520,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela were admitted through July under a separate policy allowing people from those four countries to apply online with a financial sponsor and arrive at an airport.
