The number of migrants from the Northern Triangle of Central America who sought to cross the southern border of the United States fell in the last year of Joe Biden’s government.
During fiscal year 2024, which runs from October 2023 to September 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded 398,619 encounters with migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
This is a significantly lower number compared to the previous three years: 701,049 encounters occurred in fiscal year 2021; 541,618 in 2022; and 495,286 in 2023.
The decrease in crossings coincides with the severe restrictions imposed by Mexicoat the beginning of this year, and the Biden government in the middle, prior to the US elections.
On the Mexican side there were greater restrictions at highway checkpoints, and permanent surveillance on the banks of the Rio Grande.
Authorities also forced migrants to get off freight trains used to cross the country and reach the border with the United States.
For Biden, on the other hand, his main restriction was to limit the processing of asylum applications when the authorities considered that the border was being overwhelmed.
To prevent this from happening, the government dictated that fewer than 1,500 applications be processed daily, including minors in the number.
“For many migrants and asylum seekers, it does not matter whether the Border Patrol agent responds to the blue or red color of the party that governs the White House. The ‘do not come’ sign was painted in both colors,” he told the Voice of AmericaJaime Rivas Castillo, specialist in human mobility issues at the Don Bosco University in El Salvador.
Border security and immigration They were two central issues in the United States elections, where Republican Donald Trump won the race.
Trump promised his voters to “close the border” (southern) and carry out “the largest deportation operation in US history.” At the same time, he accused the Democratic administration of having allowed a massive entry of migrants.
For Jizi Moza, executive director of the Salvadoran Migrant Institute, restrictions for migrants will not be limited to the measures imposed by Mexico and the Biden administration. With Trump at the helm, the outlook looks more restrictive.
“We know that he is going to continue the same as in his previous mandate: the construction of the wall and trying to withdraw humanitarian paroles. He always emphasized that he did not agree with the current management of the immigration situation,” he told the VOA.
Low numbers throughout the year
Encounters of Central American migrants on the southern border began to decrease in January 2024, and remained low throughout the year despite Biden’s commitment to stopping immigration five months before the elections.
This drop in encounters with Central American migrants was the most notable during his government, which has faced record records of illegal crossings.
So, it was expected that the decline would be temporary, since in December 2023 the crossings broke a record. However, the decrease continues until now.
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