Arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico are down 29% in June , which is the lowest result in a month of the presidency of Joe Biden, according to published data that give another look at the impact of the new rule on the temporary suspension of asylum, the Associated Press reported, cited by BTA.
June arrests were 83,536, down from 117,901 in May and the lowest number since January 2021, US Customs and Border Protection said.
The decline followed Biden's announcement on June 4 that asylum processing would be suspended when daily arrests reached 2,500, which happened immediately, said Troy Miller, acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection.
"Recent border security measures have had a significant impact on our ability to impose consequences on illegal crossers," Miller said.
U.S. officials say arrests have already dropped by more than half from a record 250,000 in December, largely due to increased enforcement by Mexican authorities.
A sharp decline was seen among nationalities, including Mexicans, who are most affected by the asylum freeze, and Chinese, who normally fly to Ecuador and travel to the US border by land.
In June, more than 41,000 people entered the country legally through an online dating app called CBP One (Customs and Border Protection). The agency reported that 680,500 people have successfully scheduled appointments since the app's introduction in January 2023.
Nearly 500,000 people from four countries have entered under the policy to allow a two-year stay provided they have financial sponsors and arrive at an airport. They include 104,130 Cubans, 194,027 Haitians, 86,101 Nicaraguans and 110,541 Venezuelans, according to CBP data.