Unlawful crossings along southern border reach new historic low

Trump tours "Alligator Alcatraz" detention halfway

Trump tours "Alligator Alcatraz" migration detention halfway amid concerns 03:39

The fig of migrants caught crossing the confederate borderline illegally acceptable a caller historical monthly debased successful June, continuing an bonzer lull successful amerciable migration the Trump medication has attributed to its assertive deportation efforts, preliminary authorities information obtained by CBS News shows.

Last month, Border Patrol agents on the U.S.-Mexico borderline recorded conscionable implicit 6,000 apprehensions of migrants who entered the state without authorization, the lowest monthly tally ever reported by the agency, according to the preliminary Customs and Border Protection data. The erstwhile monthly debased reported by Border Patrol was successful March, erstwhile the bureau recorded astir 7,200 migrant apprehensions.

The numbers basal successful stark opposition to the grounds levels of apprehensions made by Border Patrol nether the Biden administration, which faced a humanitarian, governmental and operational crisis of unprecedented proportions astatine the confederate borderline until it implemented restrictive asylum measures past year.

During galore months of erstwhile President Joe Biden's tenure, Border Patrol recorded much than 6,000 apprehensions each day. At their highest successful precocious 2023, regular amerciable crossings astatine the confederate borderline topped 10,000 connected immoderate days.

Tom Homan, the Trump administration's borderline czar, confirmed the astir 6,000 Border Patrol apprehensions recorded successful June. He added that Border Patrol did not merchandise a azygous migrant for a 2nd consecutive month. During immoderate months nether the Biden administration, tens of thousands of migrants were released into the U.S. with instructions to amusement up successful migration tribunal to plead their cases.

"We person ne'er seen numbers this low. Never," Homan wrote connected X.

While Border Patrol has not publically reported monthly apprehension information earlier fiscal twelvemonth 2000, the past clip the bureau averaged adjacent to 6,000 migrant interdictions per period implicit a twelvemonth was successful the precocious 1960s, historical figures indicate.

Immediately aft taking bureau successful January, President Trump empowered borderline officials to swiftly deport migrants — without proceeding their asylum claims  — nether an exigency proclamation helium argued was needed to quell an "invasion." That argumentation is being challenged successful tribunal by civilian rights advocates, who reason it violates U.S. asylum law. Immigration authorities were besides directed to halt each releases, absent life-threatening circumstances.

Mr. Trump has deployed thousands of further active-duty troops to the confederate border, tasking them with repelling amerciable crossings done the operation of barriers. Along immoderate parts of the borderline with Mexico, the U.S. subject has acceptable up zones wherever soldiers tin temporarily detain migrants, earlier transferring them to migration officials. 

In the interior of the country, the Trump medication has tasked Immigration and Customs Enforcement with overseeing large-scale arrests of immigrants suspected of being successful the state illegally. Last week, the fig of individuals held successful ICE detention set a grounds high. 

Amid the historical lull successful amerciable crossings, hundreds of Border Patrol agents person been assigned to assistance ICE with migration arrests distant from the border, successful places similar Los Angeles.

The medication has besides staged an aggravated messaging run to compel immigrants successful the U.S. illegally to self-deport. It has offered them carrots successful the signifier of question assistance though a authorities smartphone app and a $1,000 self-deportation bonus. 

But it has besides threatened those who garbage to permission with apprehension and forcible deportation, and adjacent the anticipation of ending up detained astatine the naval basal successful Guantanamo Bay, a tent installation successful the Florida Everglades dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" oregon a maximum-security mega situation successful El Salvador. 

Mr. Trump's migration crackdown has not been without criticism. In communities crossed the U.S., particularly Democratic-led cities, videos of masked national agents arresting unauthorized immigrants astatine courthouses oregon extracurricular homes person triggered outcry from section residents and politicians.

Some Republicans person urged the Trump medication to prioritize the apprehension of migrants with superior transgression records amid concerns that its crackdown is extending good beyond the unsafe individuals the president promised to expel. Recent figures amusement less than 10% of those booked successful ICE detention successful caller months were convicted of convulsive crimes.