WASHINGTON — Arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico plummeted 33% in July to the lowest level since September 2020, a result of asylum being temporarily suspended, authorities said Friday.
The Border Patrol made 56,408 arrests last month, down from 83,536 arrests in June, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, its parent agency.
Asylum was halted at the border 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. U.S. authorities say arrests dropped 55% 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 Troy Miller, acting CBP commissioner.
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. Permits were recently halted amid concerns about fraud by sponsors.
“(The Department of Homeland Security) is working to restart applications processing as quickly as possible, with appropriate safeguards,” CBP said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Mark Green, Republican chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, criticized the Biden administration’s new and expanded legal pathways at the border.
“This administration is orchestrating a massive shell game, encouraging otherwise-inadmissible aliens to cross at ports of entry instead of between them, thereby creating a façade of improved optics for the administration, but in reality imposing a growing burden on our communities,” he said.
In recent news, it has been reported that border arrests in July have decreased by 33% to the lowest level in 46 months. This significant drop in arrests comes following the implementation of asylum restrictions at the border.
The Trump administration has been cracking down on illegal immigration and tightening asylum policies in an effort to curb the influx of migrants at the southern border. One of the key measures taken was the implementation of a policy that requires migrants to seek asylum in the first safe country they pass through on their journey to the United States. This has effectively limited the number of asylum seekers at the border, leading to a decrease in overall border arrests.
According to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, there were 71,999 border arrests in July, compared to 104,344 in June. This marks a significant decrease and is the lowest number of arrests since March 2017. The decrease in arrests can be attributed to the deterrence effect of the asylum restrictions, as well as increased enforcement efforts by border patrol agents.
While the decrease in border arrests is a positive development for the Trump administration, critics argue that the restrictive asylum policies are putting vulnerable migrants at risk and violating international refugee laws. They argue that migrants fleeing violence and persecution should not be turned away at the border and denied the opportunity to seek asylum in the United States.
Despite the controversy surrounding the asylum restrictions, the decrease in border arrests is seen as a success by supporters of the administration’s immigration policies. They argue that stricter enforcement measures are necessary to secure the border and prevent illegal immigration.
It remains to be seen how the decrease in border arrests will impact overall immigration trends in the coming months. The Trump administration is likely to continue implementing tough immigration policies in an effort to further reduce illegal immigration and secure the southern border.
