SAN DIEGO (AP) — Arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border fell about 30% in July to a new low for Joe Biden’s presidency, U.S. authorities said, raising the possibility that a temporary ban on asylum will soon be lifted.
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 amid increased Mexican enforcement. Since June 5, arrests have fallen by half again, helping the White House fend off attacks from former President Donald Trump and other Republicans who accused Democrats including Vice President Kamala Harris of letting the border spiral out of control.
The asylum freeze would end if the number of daily arrests falls below 1,500 on a seven-day average, a scenario that Customs and Border Protection officials are bracing for, with arrests now hovering between 1,600 and 1,700 a day. The freeze would be reinstated if the number of arrests reaches 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, U.S. authorities deny asylum to 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 U.N. 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 again the busiest corridor for illegal border crossings in July, followed by Tucson, Arizona, an official said.
The biggest declines are among the easiest-to-deport nationalities, including 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 Ecuador’s new visa requirements and more U.S. deportations to China.
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