In a somewhat surprising development from the Department of Homeland Security, illegal border arrests have plummeted by more than 40% since President Joe Biden temporarily halted asylum processing earlier this month. This report released yesterday delineates a marked reduction in border crossings, correlating with the administration's stricter immigration measures.
The announcement, shared just a day before President Biden is set to square off in a debate with former President Donald Trump, puts a spotlight on Biden's precarious stance with voters on the topic of immigration. Despite Trump's characterization of Biden as soft on borders, it appears that Biden's current policies may be curtailing the flow of migrant entries, a contrast from the open-border narrative often leveraged against his administration. According to a report by AZPM News, average daily arrests now sit below 2,400, a steep decline from figures preceding the June 5 proclamation.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas pointed to these declining numbers during an appearance on MSNBC/Morning Joe, praising his agency's staff for their exceptional efforts under challenging circumstances. "We are conducting more removal flights than ever before. We are moving people through the system and those who do not qualify are being removed or returned more rapidly. It’s a remarkable feat that our personnel have accomplished in just such a short period of time," Mayorkas told the show. However, it's important to acknowledge that these changes have not come without legal pushback, as Mayorkas also highlighted that the policy is now facing challenges in the courts.
The policy which initiated this downward trend suspends asylum processing when daily arrests exceed a specific threshold, which currently stands at 2,500. Migrants expressing a fear of return or intention to seek asylum undergo screening, though at more stringent levels than previously applied, potentially leading to alternative humanitarian protections rather than asylum itself. Under these conditions, Tucson, Arizona, — a normally bustling sector for crossings — has seen its daily average arrests sink to under 600, a striking drop from its count of around 1,200 on June 2, as per Homeland Security statistics.
