August Sees Expected Rise in Border Arrests After Five-Month Decline

SAN DIEGO (AP) — In a shift from recent trends, illegal border crossings from Mexico are expected to see a slight increase in arrests for August compared to July. This development marks an end to five consecutive months of declining figures.

As of Thursday, authorities recorded approximately 54,000 arrests. At the current pace, the total for August is anticipated to reach around 58,000 by the end of the month, according to two officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the information.

This estimated increase suggests that arrests may be leveling off after having been drastically reduced from a peak of 250,000 in December. This significant decline has largely been credited to enhanced enforcement measures adopted by Mexican authorities within their own territories. Following President Joe Biden’s decision in June to temporarily halt asylum processing, arrests declined further, hitting a 46-month low of 56,408 in July. The figures for August seem to remain stagnant.

In response to the latest data, a statement from Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas urged Congress to support proposed legislation that failed to pass. This legislation aimed to suspend asylum processing under certain conditions, reform the way asylum claims are processed to ease the congestion in immigration courts, and increase the number of Border Patrol agents, among other initiatives.

Republican figures, including presidential nominee Donald Trump, have voiced opposition to this bill, labeling it inadequate in addressing the issue.

Mayorkas emphasized the benefits of the administration’s efforts, stating, “Thanks to actions taken by the Biden-Harris Administration, the dedication of our DHS personnel, and our international partnerships, we continue to see the lowest number of encounters at our Southwest border since September 2020.”

This marked decline from high figures last year is perceived positively by the White House and by Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for the upcoming presidential election. However, the administration faces criticism from immigration advocates, who argue that the restrictions on asylum are excessively harsh, and from enforcement proponents who feel that Biden’s newly created legal pathways for entry are overly generous.

Up until the end of July, more than 765,000 individuals legally entered the United States using the CBP One online appointment system. Additionally, approximately 520,000 individuals from select countries were permitted entry through airports with financial sponsorship. This airport entry program, which applies to citizens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela—countries known for being difficult to deport—was briefly paused in July due to concerns over potential fraud involving U.S. financial sponsors.

In August, San Diego once again led the Border Patrol’s nine sectors along the Mexican border in arrests, followed closely by El Paso, Texas, and Tucson, Arizona, with the statistics showing the three regions were nearly in a dead heat. Interestingly, the number of Colombians and Ecuadorians arrested decreased, a change attributed to enhanced deportation flights to those South American nations. Meanwhile, the most frequently apprehended nationalities during this period were Mexican, Guatemalan, and Honduran.