WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of arrests for crossing the southern border of the United States illegally fell by 33% in July to its lowest level since September 2020, as a result of the temporary suspension of the right to asylum, authorities reported on Friday.
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The Border Patrol made 56,408 apprehensions last month, compared to 83,536 in June, according to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to which it is attached.
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What is the reason behind the decrease in arrests?
The right to seek asylum was suspended at the United States border on June 5 after illegal crossings exceeded a threshold of 2,500 per day, although the lack of deportation flights prevents authorities from expelling all detainees.
US authorities say that arrests decreased by 55% after this measure came into effect, following a sharp drop this year mainly attributed to increased surveillance by Mexican authorities.
"In July, our border security measures improved our ability to penalize illegal entry," said Troy Miller, acting commissioner of the CBP.
Illegal immigration is the main campaign issue for Republicans.
These figures, which roughly align with preliminary estimates, could provide some relief to Democrats on an issue that has plagued them throughout Joe Biden's presidency.
"The Biden-Harris administration has taken effective measures, and the Republicans continue to do nothing," said White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández.
More than 38,000 people entered the United States through land border crossings with an online appointment system called CBP One, bringing the total to over 765,000 since the system was implemented in January 2023.
More than 520,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela were admitted until July under a different policy, which allows people from those four countries to apply for entry to the United States online, as long as they have a financial sponsor and arrive at an airport. Recently, the issuance of entry permits was suspended due to suspicions of fraud related to the sponsors.
CBP indicated on Friday that, starting on August 23, it will expand to a large part of southern Mexico the areas where non-Mexican migrants can request an online appointment to apply for asylum in the United States.
Migrants will be able to schedule appointments through the CBP One app from the states of Chiapas and Tabasco, which will be added to the northern and central zones of Mexico from where they can currently do so. Mexicans can make a request from anywhere in the country.
The measure requested by Mexico could alleviate the pressure on the Mexican government by allowing migrants to wait for their appointments in the south, further away from the US border, and reduce the dangers for people trying to reach the US border to seek asylum.