July 19 (UPI) — Illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border fell to the lowest level in two years in June as drug enforcement efforts and federal immigration initiatives helped to quash an expected surge in immigration in the wake of the pandemic, the Biden administration said Wednesday.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said encounters at the Southwest border had decreased 42% to 99,545 from May to June, while the total number of migrants seeking asylum at U.S. ports of entry decreased 30% to 144,607 during the same period.
The figures, which demonstrated the lowest number of monthly encounters at the Southwest border since February 2021, were released more than two months after the expiration of Title 42 — the controversial COVID-19-era measure that allowed illegal migrants to be quickly deported due to the health emergency.
When the Trump-era order expired in May, many feared a crush of migrants to spill across the border, but the anticipated surge never materialized.
The U.S. border authority has since turned to processing all migrants under Title 8 of the United States Code — which deals with immigration policy — while expediting deportation proceedings for individuals who cross the border illegally. However, migrants who present themselves at a port of entry are eligible for the lawful pathways rule, which places a condition on asylum eligibility with certain exceptions, the agency said.
“Our sustained efforts to enforce consequences under our longstanding Title 8 authorities, combined with expanding access to lawful pathways and processes, have driven the number of migrant encounters along the Southwest border to their lowest levels in more than two years,” CBP Commissioner Troy Miller said in a statement. “We will remain vigilant,” he said, thanking federal employees and other government partners for keeping “the American people safe.”
The agency launched the CBP One mobile app in June to encourage non-U.S. citizens to use the legal process to migrate lawfully to the United States. So far, more than 38,000 people have scheduled appointments through the app after being processed at a point of entry, while thousands more have been turned away due to criminal or legal issues.
Border Patrol also said it has stepped up efforts to stem the flow of illegal drugs across the Southern border, employing new scanning equipment and test protocols that can quickly identify suspected drugs.
In the field, agents have been taking note of trends in modern narcotics trafficking, including attempts to hide contraband in roofs, floorboards, door panels, bumpers, tires, gas tanks, car batteries, seats, speaker boxes, false floors, drones, and more.
In June, CBP conducted two major operations at the Southern border that seized nearly 10,000 pounds of fentanyl, 21 pill presses, 54 pill molds, 5,000 pounds of drug chemicals, as well as tens of thousands of pounds of other illegal drugs.
Other ongoing border efforts include the agency taking steps to safeguard the U.S. agricultural system, while eliminating goods made with forced labor from China as the U.S. sought to strengthen its supply chain through Mexico.
