SAN DIEGO– Arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border fell by about 30% in July, marking a new low for Joe Biden’s presidency, U.S. authorities said, raising the possibility that a temporary ban on asylum may be lifted soon.
The U.S. Border Patrol is expected to apprehend about 57,000 migrants in the month, down from 83,536 apprehensions in June, the previous low of Biden’s presidency, according to two U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the figures were not made public. It would be the lowest monthly total since 40,507 apprehensions in September 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic slowed movement across borders in many countries, including into the United States.
Even before Biden’s Democratic administration invoked the authority to suspend asylum on June 5, border arrests had fallen by about half from a record high of 250,000 in December in the midst of increased Mexican enforcement. Since June 5, Arrests have again fallen by halfallowing the White House to fend off attacks from former President Donald Trump and other Republicans who claimed that Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, had let the border spiral out of control.
The asylum freeze would end if the number of daily apprehensions falls below 1,500 over a seven-day average, a scenario that Customs and Border Protection officials are preparing for with apprehensions now hovering between 1,600 and 1,700 per day. The freeze would be reinstated if apprehensions reach a seven-day daily average of 2,500, a threshold of “emergency border conditions” that was immediately reached when the restrictions went into effect in June. Immigrant advocacy groups are challenging the asylum measures in court.
Under the freeze, US authorities deny a chance of asylum for anyone who crosses the border illegally. Unaccompanied children are exempt, and others can seek asylum-like protections that allow them to remain in the United States with a higher threshold and fewer benefits, such as the United Nations Convention against Torture.
When asked for comment on the July figures on Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security referred to a statement last week that said arrests had dropped 55% since the asylum restrictions went into effect.
San Diego was back the busiest corridor for illegal border crossings in July, followed by Tucson, Arizona, an official said.
The biggest declines have occurred nationalities that are easiest to deportincluding Mexicans, but people from other countries are also showing up less as other travel restrictions take effect, officials said. Chinese migration appears to have slowed due to New visa requirements for Ecuador and more American deportations to China.
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