The number of arrests for illegally crossing the southern border of the United States fell slightly in March, authorities said Friday, a drop that runs counter to the usual spring surge and comes amid increased surveillance. in Mexico.
The Border Patrol made 137,480 arrests of people entering from Mexico, down 2.3% from the 140,638 arrests in February, the first time since 2017 that arrests fell in March from the previous month. Crossings typically increase as the weather gets warmer.
Mexico detained 240,000 migrants in the first two months of the year, more than triple that of the same period in 2023, and sent many to the south of the country to discourage them from traveling to the United States. Although Mexico has not released March numbers, U.S. officials have said vigilance by Mexican authorities is largely responsible for the recent declines.
“Encounters at our southern border are smaller at this time, but we remain prepared for changes, continually managing operations to respond to ever-changing transnational criminal activities and migration patterns,” said Troy Miller, acting commissioner of the Bureau of United States Customs and Border Protection.
The number of arrests for March is one of the lowest of Joe Biden's presidency, after a record of almost 250,000 in December. Although conditions are changing rapidly, the decline is good news for the White House at a time when immigration has become one of the main concerns of voters in an election year. Biden stated this month that he is still considering executive action to suspend asylum at the border if crossings reach a certain threshold.
Tucson, Arizona, once again became the busiest of the nine Border Patrol sectors on the border with Mexico in March, a position it has maintained since the summer, followed by San Diego and El Paso, Texas. Texas' Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings for much of the last decade, is the fifth busiest today, indicating how quickly routes are changing.
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