The number of migrants apprehended while trying to cross the southern border is down slightly compared to this time last month, when crossings were at a 21-year high, according to data obtained by NBC News.
As of Friday, the 21-day average of migrants stopped crossing the U.S.-Mexico border by Customs and Border Protection was 6,177 per day, down from 7,275 in mid-August, NBC reported. The decrease is largely owed to increased enforcement by Mexico along its southern border and newly started flights from the U.S. that expel immigrants to Mexico and Guatemala before they can claim asylum, according to NBC. September is usually a time of year when crossings increase because of cooler weather.
Just last month, the Pew Research Center noted that the U.S. Border Patrol reported nearly 200,000 encounters with migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border in July, the highest monthly total in more than two decades.
The Department of Homeland Security has not released its statistics on southwestern apprehensions for August yet, but it seems that the figures will be lower than July’s numbers.
The Biden administration made an agreement with Mexico to enforce Title 42 expulsion, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authority that allows the U.S. to expel asylum seekers during a pandemic.
Mexico has recently cracked down on migration through its territory, The Hill reported, although this may be temporary.
As crossings have dropped slightly, DHS may have diverted attention to vetting and processing incoming Afghan evacuees. The White House estimates it will resettle roughly 95,000 Afghans in the U.S. as a result of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country.
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