Arrests for illegal border crossings jump 3% in August, suggesting decline may be bottoming out

WASHINGTON (AP) — Arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico rose slightly in August, authorities said Monday, ending a stretch of five straight months of declines and signaling that flows may be leveling off.

The Border Patrol made 58,038 arrests on the Mexican border during the month, hovering near four-year lows but up 2.9% from 56,399 in July, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The total was in line with preliminary estimates.

Troy Miller, acting CBP commissioner, said restrictions introduced in June to suspend asylum when illegal crossings hit certain thresholds showed the government will “deliver strong consequences for illegal entry.”

A decline from an all-time high of 250,000 arrests in December, partly a result of more enforcement by Mexican authorities within their borders, is welcome news for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as they fend off Republican accusations that they allowed the border to spin out of control.

“The Biden-Harris Administration has taken effective action, and Republican officials continue to do nothing,” said White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández.

Many Republicans have criticized Biden for new and expanded pathways to legal entry, calling them a “shell game” to drive down illegal crossings.

About 44,700 people entered the country legally from Mexico by making online appointments on an app called CBP One in August, bringing the total to about 813,000 since the app was introduced in January 2023. Additionally, nearly 530,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela have entered legally through airports by applying online with a financial sponsor.

San Diego was again the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, followed closely by El Paso, Texas, and Tucson, Arizona.