Encounters at the U.S. border drop 9% in May, before asylum restrictions kicked in
Source: NPR
June 21, 2024 2:27 PM ET
The number of encounters with migrants attempting to cross into the U.S. with no authorization dropped 9% in May, compared to April. U.S. Customs and Border Protection also reported a 17% decrease in the number of encounters with migrants, compared to the same month a year ago.
Border Patrol made 117,900 arrests of people attempting to enter between official border crossing points in May. CBP had reported 128,900 encounters in April, a 6% decrease from March. This is the fifth month showing a decrease in encounters, after an all-time spike in December, when 301,983 migrants were stopped at the border.
CBP also reported a 25% decrease in daily encounters between ports of entry since the May 5th asylum restrictions were announced. However, the agency said these are preliminary numbers from the first two weeks of implementation, and noted that migration patterns often change through the summer months.
“Our enforcement efforts are continuing to reduce southwest border encounters. But the fact remains that our immigration system is not resourced for what we are seeing,” Troy A. Miller, the acting head of CBP, said in a statement.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2024/06/21/g-s1-5660/encounters-at-the-u-s-border-drop-9-in-may-before-asylum-restrictions-announced