Migrants wave to a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border through the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. ()
The flow of people into the U.S. over the southwest border has slumped in the first four months of the year by one key metric, according to the Biden administration, which attributed the decline to increased enforcement and steps taken to stem the flow by Mexico and other countries further south.
The number of encounters between migrants and immigration authorities during the first fourth months of this year are down 40% compared with the final four months of last year, according to senior administration officials, who spoke on the condition they not be identified.
The decline implies that the number of arrivals by undocumented migrants has continued to slide from March into April, the first time during the Biden administration that the figures slowed during that span despite warmer weather, when the figures would typically rise.
Record flows of migrants have overwhelmed the U.S. immigration system, increasing political pressure on President Joe Biden as he heads toward a reelection fight again Donald Trump. With an overhaul stalled in Congress, Biden said last month his administration may further restrict migrants’ ability to claim asylum, echoing some of the Trump-era policies he had previously rejected.
Customs and Border Protection data show that border encounters fell to about 190,000 per month in February and March, down from a record of more than 300,000 in December, after Mexico restored funding for migration services and ramped up deportations.
The officials on Monday also said that the U.S. plans to announce millions of dollars for migration-related use, including humanitarian support such as food and shelter, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Guatemala for a regional meeting on the issue on Tuesday.
The U.S. on Monday also imposed visa restrictions on some Colombian ferry operators moving migrants north to the Darien Gap between Central and South America, the officials said, referring to a treacherous mountain pass traversed by more than 520,000 people last year.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
