WASHINGTON — Arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico rose slightly in August, authorities said Monday, ending a stretch of five straight months of declines and signaling that the flows may be leveling off.
The Border Patrol made 58,038 arrests on the Mexican border during the month, hovering near a four-year low but up 2.9% from 56,399 in July, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The total was in line with preliminary estimates.
Troy Miller, acting CBP commissioner, said restrictions imposed in June to suspend asylum when illegal crossings reach certain thresholds show the government will “deliver strong consequences for illegal entry.”
A drop from the record 250,000 arrests in December, partly the result of more enforcement by Mexican authorities at their border, is welcome news for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as they fend off Republican accusations that they allowed the border to spin out of control.
“The Biden-Harris administration has taken effective action and Republican officials continue to do nothing,” said White House spokesman Angelo Fernández Hernández.
Many Republicans have criticized Biden for new and expanded routes to legal entry, calling them a “shell game” to crack down on illegal crossings.
About 44,700 people entered the country legally from Mexico by booking appointments online on an app called CBP One in August, bringing the total to about 813,000 since the app was introduced in January 2023. In addition, nearly 530,000 people from Cuba , Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela have entered legally through airports by applying online with a financial sponsor.
San Diego was again the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, closely followed by El Paso, Texas, and Tucson, Arizona.
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