Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 84,000 migrants crossing the U.S. southern border in June, the lowest number since President Joe Biden took office in 2021, a Department of Homeland Security official told NBC News.
Apprehensions in June were down nearly 30% from May, when Border Patrol apprehended more than 117,000 migrants who crossed the border between legal crossings. The Biden administration has attributed the drop to new asylum restrictions the president announced in early June.
CBS News was the first to report the number of migrant apprehensions in June, which marked the fourth straight month of declines along the U.S.-Mexico border. Customs and Border Protection will not officially release the June numbers until later this month.
The last time the number of migrants crossing the border was below 97,000 was the month Biden took office, January 2021, when Border Patrol apprehended just over 75,000 people.
According to U.S. officials who spoke anonymously to NBC News, the lower numbers are partly due to the extreme heat in June and increased blockades of migrants traveling to the U.S. by Mexican authorities.
NBC News was first to report that Mexico has tripled interceptions of migrants traveling through its territory to the U.S. over the past year.
Immigration, particularly migrants crossing the U.S. southern border illegally, has emerged as one of the top three issues for voters ahead of the November presidential election. During Thursday’s CNN-hosted presidential debate, Biden noted that his executive order restricting who can seek asylum at the U.S. border has reduced illegal border crossings by 40%.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
