Border Patrol agents apprehended just over 84,000 migrants crossing the U.S. southern border in June, the lowest monthly number since President Joe Biden took office in 2021. The number of apprehensions in June was nearly 30 percent lower than in May, attributed to new asylum restrictions announced by the president earlier that month. This marks the fourth straight month of decline in migrant apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border. The last time the number of migrant crossings was under 97,000 was in January 2021, when Biden took office.
Some officials suggest that the lower numbers in June may also be due to the high heat that month and the increased interdictions of U.S.-bound migrants by Mexican authorities. In the past year, Mexico has tripled its interdictions of migrants passing through its territory to reach the U.S. Immigration, particularly migrants crossing the southern U.S. border illegally, has become a significant issue for voters leading up to the upcoming presidential election in November.
During a recent presidential debate, Biden claimed that his executive action restricting who can claim asylum at the U.S. border has resulted in a 40 percent decrease in illegal crossings. Customs and Border Protection will officially release the June apprehension numbers later this month, but it’s clear that there has been a significant decrease in migrant crossings along the U.S. southern border in recent months.
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