In July, US border officials reported a sharp decrease of about 30% in the number of arrests at the US-Mexico border, hitting a new low during Biden’s presidency, raising the possibility of the temporary asylum ban being lifted soon.
Two anonymous officials from the US Customs and Border Protection revealed to the Associated Press on Wednesday that unpublished data indicates an estimated 57,000 illegal immigrants are expected to be apprehended by the US Border Patrol this month, significantly lower than June’s figure of 83,536, which marked the lowest of Biden’s tenure.
If the data holds, this would be the lowest monthly figure since September 2020, when 40,507 illegal immigrants were arrested, a period when border movements were slowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting many countries, including the US.
On June 4th, President Biden issued an executive order at the White House to restrict illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border. The order stated that if daily illegal border crossings exceeded 2,500 people, the ban on asylum would be triggered, and would only be lifted when the Border Patrol recorded daily crossings below 1,500 people for at least a week. Throughout Biden’s term, illegal crossings at the border have consistently exceeded 2,500 individuals daily.
Following the issuance of the executive order, data on illegal border crossings between the US and Mexico showed a significant decrease.
The Department of Homeland Security, when asked to comment on the numbers for July, referred to a statement from last week, indicating a 55% decrease in illegal border crossings since the asylum ban came into effect.
Simultaneously, with increased enforcement efforts by the Mexican government, the number of recorded illegal border crossings has halved from a record 250,000 in December of last year.
Under this executive order, the ability to apply for asylum is severely restricted, with the US government offering only about 1,400 asylum appointments daily and conducting stricter reviews. Unaccompanied illegal immigrant children may receive exemptions, but children accompanied by parents will be subject to the order’s constraints.
Current reports from the Associated Press indicate that daily arrests are hovering between 1,600 to 1,700 people, with US Customs and Border Protection officials preparing for the reinstatement of asylum.
Officials note that the largest decrease in numbers is seen among nationals most likely to be deported, including Mexicans. However, travel restrictions in place have also reduced the influx from other countries, such as Chinese migrants using Ecuador as a popular transit point.
Ecuador announced on June 18th the termination of an agreement with the Chinese government, which exempted Chinese citizens from requiring visas to enter the South American country. Ecuador stated concerns over approximately 50% of Chinese citizens not “departing by regular means” upon entry and failing to leave within the 90-day exemption period, citing worries over the increase in irregular migration.