Immigration arrests for illegally crossing the border into the United States from Mexico fell by more than 6% in April, marking the fourth month with the fewest arrests during Joe Biden’s presidency, officials announced Wednesday. This reverses the typical springtime increase in crossings.
U.S. authorities have largely attributed the decline to increased surveillance by Mexico, particularly in areas known for migrants boarding freight trains. In May, the number of arrests by the Border Patrol for people illegally crossing into the United States hit its lowest point under the Biden administration, according to recently released preliminary figures. This drop coincides with the implementation of new rules announced by the President that restrict asylum access, effective since early June.
The total number of immigrant arrests made by the Border Patrol at official crossing points in May was 117,900, Customs and Border Protection reported in a press release. This represents a 9% decrease compared to April, indicating a downward trend in migrant encounters at the southern border.
The agency also reported that since the announcement of the new asylum policies on June 4, arrests have preliminarily fallen by 25%, suggesting an immediate impact of these measures on the migration flow to the United States.
Additionally, the U.S. government has highlighted cooperation with Mexican authorities, whose stricter enforcement on their side of the border has also contributed to the decrease in migrants attempting to reach the U.S. border. These figures are part of a set of monthly statistics published by CBP, which include information on immigration, trade, and border security activities.
Recent decisions by the U.S. President indicate that he will assist migrants already in the country while striving to keep the border inaccessible to new arrivals.
President Biden stated that he will assist immigrants already in the United States but will work to keep the border closed to those attempting to enter. “If the United States doesn’t secure its border, there will be no limit to the number of people who could try to enter the country, because there is no better place to live on the planet than the United States of America,” Biden declared in the East Room of the White House.
Just two weeks later, Biden faced a very different atmosphere in the same room. This time, he joined an enthusiastic crowd of immigrants to announce that he would protect nearly 500,000 undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation. “I also know that many people in this room are concerned about other measures I have taken,” Biden said, referring to the asylum ban. “As President, I had to take those measures. Every nation must secure its border, it’s that simple.“
What do you think about these new measures the U.S. government has taken on immigration arrests and issues?
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