By Steve Neavling
Arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico fell by 33% in July, reaching their lowest level since September 2020, authorities announced Friday.
The sharp decline followed the temporary suspension of asylum applications.
According to CBP, Border Patrol agents made 56,408 arrests in July, a significant drop from the 83,536 arrests recorded in June, the Associated Press reports.
The halt on asylum requests began on June 5 after illegal crossings surged past 2,500 per day.
Despite a shortage of deportation flights, making it difficult to turn away all migrants, U.S. officials report a 55% reduction in arrests since the measure took effect. This comes after an earlier drop in numbers, which was largely attributed to increased enforcement efforts by Mexican authorities.
“In July, our border security measures enhanced our ability to deliver consequences for illegal entry,” Troy Miller, acting CBP commissioner, said.
More than 38,000 people entered at land crossings via the CBP One online appointment system, raising the total number of admissions to more than 765,000 since its launch in January 2023.
More 520,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela were admitted through July under a separate policy that allowed individuals from these countries to apply online with a financial sponsor and fly into the U.S. However, permits were recently suspended due to concerns over sponsor-related fraud.
