Illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border have fallen to their lowest level in four years, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with 46,610 people apprehended between ports of entry in November.
The number of illegal crossings that month marked an 18% decrease from the previous month and the lowest level since July 2020, the agency said.
“Our enhanced law enforcement efforts, combined with executive actions and coordination with Mexico and Central American countries in recent months, are having a sustained and significant impact,” said Troy A. Miller, acting head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. USA.
Between June and November, the Department of Homeland Security expelled more than 240,000 people, according to the agency. In fiscal year 2024, the department also expelled more than 700,000 from the country, more than any previous year since 2010.
The numbers represent something of a sea change for the Biden administration, which faced a major political backlash for a increase in illegal previous crossings in Biden’s mandate. Trump sharply criticized Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the increases.
Immigration experts attribute the drop in border encounters (people stopped trying to cross in areas between ports of entry) to multiple factors, including what they said is the current administration’s “carrot and stick” approach.
Under the Biden administration, officials encouraged migrants to turn themselves in at ports of entry and launched an app to schedule appointments as they travel through Mexico. It has also discouraged illegal entries between ports of entry, making those who try to enter the country that way ineligible for asylum.
The sharp decline comes just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office, bringing with him an administration that has made combating undocumented immigration a top priority. During his campaign, Trump and his top advisers characterized the southern border as out of control and under management. “invasion,” and promised mass deportations.
In an interview with Time, Trump promised to mobilize the military to help deport millions of undocumented immigrants.
“We have people reaching record levels and numbers that we have never seen before.” Trump said. “I will do what the law allows. And I think in many cases, sheriffs and authorities will need help. We will also get the National Guard. “We will call in the National Guard and go as far as they allow me to go.”
However, recent border crossing figures paint a somewhat different picture.
Border Patrol agents on the ground have reported a drop in the number of crossings over the past seven months, according to the agency, with a 60% decrease between May and November.
Department of Homeland Security officials have also touted that the number of people processed for deportation has doubled in recent months.
The CBP One app allows migrants traveling through Mexico to make appointments at ports of entry, discouraging them from attempting to enter the country through intervening deserts to avoid U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents, he said. Michelle Mittelstadt, spokesperson for the Migration Policy Institute.
The administration also issued an order making illegal crossers ineligible for asylum, and encouraged the governments of Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica to increase immigration controls in their counties.
“November marked the first time in history that the majority of encounters were migrants arriving at a port of entry rather than being intercepted after crossing the border without authorization, proof that this carrot and stick approach was having an effect.” ”Mittelstadt said.
Despite the decline in border encounters, the incoming Trump administration has continued to promise an aggressive approach to deportations, and some have threatened sanctuary cities and states with consequences if they stand in the way.
Tom Homan, acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the first Trump administration and appointed “border czar” for the second, has asked increase in workplace raids.
He told Fox News that cities that refuse to help federal immigration agencies could face criminal charges.
“If you knowingly conceal or harbor an illegal alien from a police officer, it is a serious crime,” he said.
Marisa Cianciarulo, dean of Irvine’s Western State College of Law and an expert in immigration and refugee law, said memories of family separations and detentions during the first Trump administration, as well as recent threats of mass deportations, could also be playing a temporary role in discouraging immigrants.
“I think we’re seeing a kind of preemptive response to the new administration,” he said. “There is fear and anxiety, and they are going to look for other means to support their families.”
Trump’s incoming deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller, also sent letters to several California officials, cities and counties, warning them of potential consequences if they interfered with immigration enforcement.
In September, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Bonsall) and other members of the House Judiciary Committee held a field hearing in San Diego County about the border crisis, inviting the mayors of Santee and Chula Vista, law enforcement officials and residents to provide testimony.
In his opening remarks, Issa, whose district includes much of San Diego County, said that while there are people who are legitimately seeking asylum and have worked to enter the country legally, there are millions who have entered the country illegally.
“Our goal is to restore the rule of law and recognize that we can have legal immigration into our country, but only if we can control the border,” he said.
Issa could not immediately be reached for comment.
At the hearing, Santee Mayor John Minto said the Biden-Harris administration’s approach to border security and immigration was affecting not only the state but also San Diego County, which was at the forefront of the issue. . He said that between September 2023 and May 2024, San Diego County received up to 154,000 street releases of migrants, many of whom were placed on carts and sent to the east region of the county.
“These unofficial figures underscore the severity and unprecedented scale of the region’s border crisis,” he said. “The influx of migrants has strained local resources, including overcrowding at local hospitals, prompting San Diego County officials to respond with a coordinated effort involving federal, state and regional support.”
Minto could not immediately be reached for comment.
Earlier this month, San Diego County approved a new policy that would prevent corrections officials from cooperating with immigration officials in any way.
The policy went beyond current state law, which allows local jurisdictions to notify immigration officials when someone convicted of certain violent or sexual crimes is to be released from jail. Under the new policy, San Diego would not provide release dates to federal officials.
The policy has sparked a clash between county supervisors and the San Diego County sheriff, who said he would continue to cooperate with federal immigration officials as permitted by state law.
California officials anticipate conflict with the new administration. California Lawyer. Senior Rob Bonta called Miller’s America First Authorized letters a “scare tactic.” Bonta said the state is preparing for legal challenges.
But Cianciarulo warns that punitive policies on immigrants tend to have only temporary impacts. If economic and political factors push people to leave their home countries and are attracted by the prospect of working in the United States, immigrants will eventually take the risk.
“Regardless of how strict the laws are, how punitive they are, we always come back to the fact that immigration is an economic reality,” Cianciarulo said. “(Migration) is not an emotional type of decision.”