SAN DIEGO (AP) — Apprehensions of people crossing the border illegally from Mexico plummeted 29% in June to the lowest number of President Joe Biden’s term, figures released Monday showed, a new indicator of the impact of new rules temporarily suspending asylum.
There were 83,536 apprehensions in June, down from 117,901 in May and the lowest number since January 2021, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Troy Miller, the acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, said the seven-day average of daily apprehensions had fallen by more than half by the end of June after President Biden announced on June 4 that the agency would stop processing asylum claims once the daily apprehension rate reached 2,500. Biden made that announcement immediately.
“Recent border security actions have significantly impacted our ability to impose penalties on those who cross the border illegally,” Miller said.
U.S. officials say arrests have already fallen by more than half from a record 250,000 in December, largely as a result of increased enforcement by Mexican authorities.
The sharp declines were seen across all nationalities, including Mexicans, who were hardest hit by the suspension of refugee status, and Chinese nationals, who typically fly to Ecuador and then travel overland to the U.S. border.
In terms of arrests, San Diego had the most of the nine Mexican Border Patrol jurisdictions, followed by Tucson, Arizona.
More than 41,000 people entered the country legally in June through the online booking app CBP One, and the agency said 680,500 people have made appointments since the app was introduced in January 2023.
About 500,000 people from the four countries entered the country under a funded policy that allowed them to stay for two years upon arrival at the airport, including 104,130 Cubans, 194,027 Haitians, 86,101 Nicaraguans and 110,541 Venezuelans, according to CBP.