The number of migrants and asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border in October dropped for the first time in three months. That’s according to data released this week by Customs and Border Protection.
CBP data shows some 240,000 people were encountered along the border in October. That’s down from almost 270,000 in September, and a month-by-month increase since July.
CBP officials attribute the drop to policy changes — including the resumption of deportation flights to Venezuela for the first time in years. The rights group Witness at the Border tracked three flights that left the US for Venezuela carrying about 360 people.
Though border-wide numbers were down, activity in the Tucson Sector remained high.
The sector reported just over 55,000 encounters last month — the most of any sector.
