Border Patrol Reports 2-Year Low in Arrests, Migrants Being Turned Back
Immigration policies that the Trump administration have implemented appear to be having a tangible effect, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection chief.
The agency said this week that the number of immigrants it caught trying to cross the U.S. border illegally last month was the lowest it’s been in two years.
Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan said Tuesday that border agents stopped a total of 36,679 migrants who were caught trying to illegally cross the border or who lacked proper documentation to gain access through ports of entry.
According to the Washington Examiner, Morgan told reporters in Washington that 29,200 of those were apprehended by Border Patrol and the other 7,479 were denied entry at border checkpoints.
CBP reported that the last time the number of migrants caught trying to cross the U.S. border illegally dipped under 37,000 was February 2018.
Morgan, meanwhile, said 95 percent of those attempting to cross illegally last month were either sent back home or were facing “consequences.”
Our message is clear to those planning to embark upon the dangerous journey north: do not put yourselves or your family at risk. We are strictly applying our immigration laws. Those who attempt to enter the US illegally will be detained and removed expeditiously. pic.twitter.com/UAwkUQCsEj
— Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan (@CBPMarkMorgan) February 12, 2020
There are a limited number of people seeking asylum who are permitted by CBP officers to apply each day.
Asylum-seekers who are permitted to apply are then required to go back to Mexico and stay there while they await their court date in the U.S.
Morgan credited the decline from 144,116 people caught trying to cross the border illegally in May 2019 to the 36,679 stopped last month to the Trump administration’s policies.
The Examiner reported there has been a significant drop in the number of apprehensions made by U.S. border agents ever since thousands of Mexican federal police and members of the military were stationed at Mexico’s borders with America and with Guatemala.
This occurred after President Donald Trump placed tariffs on Mexican imports due to the lack of action being taken by that nation’s government to stop illegal immigration into the U.S.
Moreover, according to the Examiner, the administration “put several policy initiatives into action last year after it asked Congress to override a court ruling that allowed families in federal custody to be released into the country after 20 days.”
Republicans believe this policy of releasing apprehended families motivates thousands of migrants to attempt to cross into American illegally without fear of consequences.
We continue to see positive results because of the steps taken by the Trump Administration to control the border and uphold the rule of law. There have been 8 straight months of decline, but as we see from significant drug seizures, much work remains. https://t.co/OQc9d2Z84L
— Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan (@CBPMarkMorgan) February 11, 2020
We hope that Congress will finally act to address the ongoing crisis on the Southwest border and pass meaningful legislation to strengthen our immigration system.
— Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan (@CBPMarkMorgan) February 11, 2020
Immigration policy has been a hot-button topic throughout Trump’s tenure in office.
In 2016, then-candidate Trump campaigned and won on a platform of reducing illegal immigration and protecting America’s southern border.
And with the 2020 election just months away, Trump will likely cite the immigration policies he’s pushed for and implemented as a reason for his supporters to back him once again.
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