Joe Biden’s asylum ban leads to drop in migrant arrests at US-Mexico border
The U.S. Border Patrol arrested about 3,100 people crossing the border illegally, a roughly 20% drop from the previous day, the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss preliminary figures.
The number of migrants caught illegally crossing the US-Mexico border fell on Friday, a senior US border official told Reuters, saying it was a sign that the Biden administration’s new restrictive policy was deterring some illegal immigration.
The U.S. Border Patrol arrested about 3,100 people crossing the border illegally, a roughly 20% drop from the previous day, the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss preliminary figures.
“It’s still too early to say this is a definite trend,” the official said. “But I think it’s a sign of some potential early success.”
Immigration has emerged as a top issue for Americans in the months ahead of the Nov. 5 election that will decide control of the White House and Congress. President Joe Biden, a Democrat seeking another term, faces Republican Donald Trump — an immigration hardliner — in a repeat of the 2020 contest.
Biden pledged to reverse many of Trump’s restrictive immigration policies when he took office in 2021 but has hardened his stance in the wake of record migrant arrests at the border.
Biden on Wednesday implemented a sweeping policy that generally bars migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally from seeking asylum. The asylum ban has exceptions for unaccompanied minors, people facing serious medical or safety threats, and victims of trafficking.
The new policy aims to maximize the number of immigrants placed in “expedited removal,” a fast-track deportation process. Since Wednesday, more than 2,000 people per day have been placed in expedited removal, more than double the previous rate, the U.S. official said.
Questions remain about whether the number of border crossings will remain low enough to allow people to be processed quickly and whether U.S. authorities have the capacity to meet their goals.
The American Civil Liberties Union has vowed to sue to stop the measure, which resembles Trump-era restrictions on asylum.
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