The number of arrests at the southern U.S. border has seen a notable decrease, marking the lowest figures since President Biden took office.
According to three sources familiar with the matter, the New York Times reported that arrests in July fell below 60,000.
A source acquainted with the Department of Homeland Security’s border data informed Fox News Digital that the estimated arrests are around 57,000.
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Last month, migrants traveled along the highway through Suchiate, Chiapas state in southern Mexico on their way to the U.S. border. (AP Photo/Edgar H. Clemente)
This represents a significant change for the Biden administration, but determining whether this drop in arrests signifies a broader trend in illegal immigration remains complex.
The Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) conveyed to Fox News Digital that this diminishing arrest rate does not accurately reflect successful border security measures.
“The claims from the Biden Administration suggesting that illegal border crossings have decreased are merely a diversion from its intentional failure to secure the border and uphold the regulations outlined in the Immigration and Nationality Act,” stated IRLI’s Director of Investigations, Matt O’Brien, a former immigration judge.
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The flag of Homeland Security displayed on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Washington D.C. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“Border crossing figures commonly decline in the summer due to extreme heat and dryness that make safe passage through the deserts of Mexico nearly impossible,” he noted. “This phenomenon occurs annually.”
O’Brien also pointed out that various initiatives set forth by the Biden administration are designed to ease entry for individuals seeking asylum.
“The Biden administration is also unlawfully facilitating the entry of thousands of inadmissible aliens via its CBP One app,” O’Brien stated. “Consequently, while the figures for individuals illegally crossing the border on their own may have decreased, the administration is essentially conducting the largest illegal alien trafficking operation in history at the expense of American taxpayers.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection describes CBP One as “a mobile app that provides a single access point to numerous CBP services. By following a series of guided questions, the app directs each user type to the appropriate services based on their specific needs.”
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A large group of Chinese migrants, including individuals from Bangladesh, wait in Jacumba Hot Spring, California, after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border overnight in June. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
In early 2021, Biden designated Vice President Kamala Harris to address the root causes of migration from Central America, which include poverty and violence. Harris journeyed to Mexico and Guatemala that June and brokered a deal involving the U.S. sending $4 billion to Central American nations, alongside an additional $5.2 billion from private companies. She also made a visit to El Paso, Texas, in 2021 in response to mounting pressure from Republican leaders.
However, since then, Harris’ focus on immigration issues has visibly diminished, with no visits to the southern border or Central American countries taking place since January 2022.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Heckman contributed to this report.
