Arrests following illegal crossings of the US-Mexican border have fallen by 29 percent in June, marking the lowest numbers during President Joseph Biden’s administration. This decline follows a Presidential proclamation that effectively bars would-be asylum seekers from requesting protection after illegally crossing the border.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reported that the average number of encounters by Border Patrol agents has dropped to below 1,900 per day over a seven-day period. The implementation of the proclamation has led to a 50 percent reduction in encounters at the Southwest Border over six weeks. President Biden issued the proclamation on June 4, detailing exceptions for individuals with visas, prior permissions, or those who are victims of severe human trafficking.
The proclamation includes a directive for the Secretary of Homeland Security to monitor daily encounters, which consist of apprehensions within 100 miles of the border or entry refusals at US-Mexico crossings. The restrictions are contingent on the number of encounters, set to discontinue if the 7-day average falls below 1,500 encounters, and to be reinstated if it rises above 2,500 after seven consecutive days.
This initiative follows the May 2023 implementation of the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways rule, which encourages legal avenues for seeking asylum and places a presumption of asylum ineligibility on those who do not use them.
Read the full report here.