SAN DIEGO (AP) — U.S. authorities made about 46,700 arrests in November for illegally crossing the border from Mexico, down about 17% from October to a new low for Joe Biden’s presidency, an official said Tuesday.
The number of arrests marked a drop of more than 80% from a record high of nearly 250,000 in December and casts doubt on predictions of a surge ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
U.S. authorities made about 700 arrests at the Canadian border in November, up from 1,283 in October, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the figures are preliminary and have not been made public.
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Last week, Trump promised sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China once he takes office, as part of his efforts to combat illegal immigration and drugs. He denounced the influx of migrants entering the US illegally, which drew a sharp response from President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, who highlighted the sharp decline this year.
The number of U.S. apprehensions at the Mexican border fell by about half after Mexican authorities increased enforcement within their own borders in December, then fell again by about half after the Biden administration imposed tough restrictions on seeking asylum at the border.
November’s number was 16% lower than October’s 56,530 and the lowest figure since July 2020, when 38,536 arrests were made. It was also lower every month from October 2018 to August 2019, during Trump’s first term as president.
