San Diego.- Arrests in the United States for illegally crossing its southern border fell 29% in June, marking the lowest monthly number during Joe Biden’s presidency, according to figures released Monday, providing another indication of the impact of a new rule to temporarily suspend asylum rights.
Arrests totaled 83,536 in June — compared with 117,901 in May — the lowest number since January 2021, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said.
A weekly average of daily arrests dropped by more than half in late June since Biden announced June 4 that asylum processing would be suspended when daily arrests hit 2,500, which happened immediately, said Troy Miller, acting CBP commissioner.
“Recent border security measures have had a significant impact on our ability to impose consequences on those who cross illegally,” Miller added.
Arrests had already dropped by more than half from a record high of 250,000 in December, largely the result of increased law enforcement across the border in Mexico, according to U.S. officials.
There has been a sharp decline in arrests of people of all nationalities, including Mexicans, who have been hardest hit by the suspension of asylum, and Chinese, who generally fly to Ecuador and from there travel by land to the United States.
Of the nine Border Patrol sectors along the Mexican border, the San Diego sector had the most arrests, followed by the Tucson, Arizona, sector.
More than 41,000 people legally entered the United States in June through the CBP One app. CBP said 680,500 people have successfully scheduled appointments since the app went live in January 2023.
Nearly 500,000 people from four countries entered under a policy that allows two-year stays on condition that they have financial sponsors and arrive at a U.S. airport. They included 104,130 Cubans, 194,027 Haitians, 86,101 Nicaraguans and 110,541 Venezuelans, according to CBP.
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