Arrests of illegal immigrants at the U.S. border with Mexico have more than halved since tougher restrictions were introduced in June, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said Tuesday.
Announcing its figures for the past year, CBP said it had “significantly increased” its enforcement efforts, with a 13 percent drop in arrests at the border.
CBP said 2,135,005 people were arrested between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024, lower than the previous two years at more than 2.4 million and 2.3 million, respectively.
Troy A. Miller, the senior official performing the duties of the CBP commissioner, praised the efforts of his staff, focusing on the criminal aspects of border security.
“CBP continued to identify and respond to new threats posed by the transnational criminal organizations profiting from the exploitation of vulnerable people, taking unprecedented measures to dismantle and disrupt these operations,” he said. “We have surged our enforcement efforts to further crack down on the smuggling of illicit opioids, including fentanyl, and implementing new measures to disrupt the supply chain of deadly narcotics.”
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Black Hawk helicopter on September 28 in San Diego. The agency reported a 13 percent drop in illegal southwest border crossings compared to last year.
Kevin Carter/Getty Images
Migrant crossings between ports of entry along the southwest border have fallen significantly over the past year, from a height of 301,981 last December to 101,790 in September.
President Joe Biden in June signed an executive order that sought to restrict crossings by effectively banning asylum. CBP said the number of migrants processed for expedited removal, or deportation, had tripled.
In the nearly four months since the order was put in place, more than 160,000 people have been sent back to 146 countries. Across the entire fiscal year, removals and returns totaled over 700,000.
Colombian asylum seekers walk along a desert road after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on September 22 near Jacumba Hot Springs, California. Immigrant border crossings remain low months after the Biden administration’s executive order banning most asylum claims at the southwest border.
John Moore/Getty Images
CBP said more border patrol officers had returned to the field in recent months, bolstering its ability to target those trying to enter the U.S. without detection, including those from transnational criminal gangs.
The reduction in crossings appears to have had an effect on the number of migrants needing rescue. In 2023, agents carried out over 37,000 rescues. Over the most recent fiscal year, the number dropped to 5,420 and deaths of migrants fell 30 percent.
Migrants are still entering the U.S., with 44,600 appointments made through the CBP One app in September alone. Those able to enter the country through humanitarian parole, or CHNV, have also continued to arrive, with more than 531,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela admitted so far.
While crossings are not at the lows seen during former President Donald Trump’s administration, the figures will likely be a welcome boost for Vice President Kamala Harris‘ campaign after calls for a tougher stance on the border should she be elected.
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