Arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico plunged 29% in June, the lowest month of Joe Biden's presidency, according to figures released Monday that provide another window on the impact of a new rule to temporarily suspend asylum.
Arrests totaled 83,536 in June, down from 117,901 in May to mark the lowest tally since January 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
There were 13,000 fewer encounters from the month before in Arizona.
A seven-day average of daily arrests fell more than half by the end of June from Biden's announcement on June 4 that asylum processing would be halted when daily arrests reach 2,500, which they did immediately, said Troy Miller, acting Customs and Border Protection commissioner.
“Recent border security measures have made a meaningful impact on our ability to impose consequences for those crossing unlawfully,” Miller said.
Arrests had already fallen by more than half from a record high of 250,000 in December, largely a result of increased enforcement by Mexican authorities, according to U.S. officials.
Sharp declines registered across nationalities, including Mexicans, who have been most affected by the suspension of asylum, and Chinese people, who generally fly to Ecuador and travel to the U.S. border over land.
San Diego was the busiest of the Border Patrol's nine sectors bordering Mexico by number of arrests, followed by Tucson, Arizona.
More than 41,000 people entered legally through an online appointment app called CBP One in June. The agency said 680,500 people have successfully scheduled appointments since the app was introduced in January 2023.
Nearly 500,000 people from four countries entered on a policy to allow two-year stays on condition they have financial sponsors and arrive at an airport. They include 104,130 Cubans, 194,027 Haitians, 86,101 Nicaraguans and 110,541 Venezuelans, according to CBP.
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A federal immigration judge in Phoenix denied asylum to a woman after finding she had credible fears that she would be killed by a drug cartel if she returns to Mexico. -
Democrats in the Arizona Legislature are responding to a series of reports of federal agents showing up to immigration court to make arrests. -
This week, the Supreme Court reversed a lower court ruling that blocked the administration from removing Venezuelans in the U.S. with Temporary Protected Status — or TPS. -
Taxpayer costs from a racial profiling case arising from then-Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s immigration crackdowns are expected to exceed $350 million midway through next year. -
The Department of Homeland Security is asking for 20,000 National Guard troops to be deployed to assist with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
