US border arrests fall in April as Mexico steps up enforcement

By James On May 15, 2024

WASHINGTON — Arrests for illegally crossing the U.S. border from Mexico fell more than 6% in April to the fourth-lowest month of the Biden administration, authorities said Wednesday, bucking the usual surge seen in the spring.

U.S. officials have largely attributed the decline to increased enforcement in Mexico, including at rail yards where migrants are known to board freight trains. Mexico will allow no more than 4,000 illegal crossings a day into the U.S., Alicia Barcena, Mexico’s foreign minister, told reporters on Tuesday, compared with more than 10,000 arrests by border police on some days in December.

Migrants were arrested 128,884 times in April, up from 137,480 in March and barely half a record high of 249,737 in December, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. While still historically high, the sharp decline in arrests since late December is welcome news for President Joe Biden on a key issue that has plagued him in the election-year polls.

San Diego became the busiest of the nine Border Patrol sectors along the Mexican border for the first time since the 1990s, with 37,370, replacing Tucson, Arizona.

Troy Miller, acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, said increased enforcement, including deportations, and cooperation with other countries have led to lower numbers.

“As a result of this increased enforcement, encounters at the southwest border have not increased, contrary to previous trends. We will remain vigilant against ever-changing migration patterns,” he said.

Authorities granted access to 41,400 people at border crossings with Mexico in April through an online appointment app called CBP One, bringing the total to more than 591,000 since its introduction in January 2023.

The U.S. is also allowing up to 30,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans if they sign up online with a financial sponsor and arrive on commercial flights. About 435,000 people entered the country this way through April, including 91,000 Cubans, 166,700 Haitians, 75,700 Nicaraguans and 101,200 Venezuelans.