The number of migrants apprehended while illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border fell on Friday, a senior U.S. border official told Reuters, suggesting that the Biden administration’s new restrictive immigration policy might be deterring illegal crossings.
U.S. Border Patrol arrested approximately 3,100 people for illegal crossings, a roughly 20% decrease from previous days, according to the official, who requested anonymity to discuss preliminary figures. “It’s still too early to say this is a definitive trend,” the official said. “But I think it is indicative of some possible early success.”
Immigration has become a key issue for Americans ahead of the November 5 elections, which will determine control of the White House and Congress. President Joe Biden, a Democrat seeking another term, faces Republican Donald Trump, an immigration hardliner, in a rematch of the 2020 contest.
Biden, who took office in 2021 with promises to reverse many of Trump’s restrictive immigration policies, has toughened his stance in response to record migrant arrests at the border.
On Wednesday, Biden implemented a new policy generally barring migrants who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border from claiming asylum, with exceptions for unaccompanied minors, individuals facing serious medical or safety threats, and victims of trafficking.
The new policy aims to increase the number of migrants placed in “expedited removal,” a fast-track deportation process. Since Wednesday, more than 2,000 people per day have been put in expedited removal, more than double the previous rate, the U.S. official said.
Questions remain about whether border crossings will stay low enough to allow quick processing and whether U.S. authorities have the capacity to meet their goals.
The American Civil Liberties Union has vowed to sue to halt the measure, which resembles Trump-era asylum restrictions.
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