Preliminary numbers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reveal a decrease in border apprehensions during the month of President Donald Trump’s Inauguration.
Preliminary numbers obtained from CBP officials Wednesday night officials by CNN revealed a 27 percent decrease in total apprehensions along the nation’s southwest border with Mexico during the month of January. Family Unit Alien (FMUA) apprehensions also decreased in January by 42 percent while Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) apprehensions declined by 39 percent.
Similar drops in total apprehensions during the month of January were reported by CBP during the previous three years, according to information obtained from CBP by Breitbart Texas.
The preliminary FMUA apprehension statistics for the month of January were reported to be 9,314, according to CNN. While this is down from December’s report of 16,135 FMUA apprehensions, it is dramatically higher than the reported 3,143 apprehensions in January 2016.
Official numbers from CBP are expected to be released in the next two weeks.
The decreased month-to-month numbers could also be a result of the expected tough plans by President Trump to deal with border security and illegal immigration, CNN stated.
Border apprehensions increased dramatically during the months leading up to the presidential election and the inauguration, Breitbart Texas reported in January. FMUA apprehensions in the first quarter of FY 2017 increased by 109 percent compared to the same period for FY 2016. The increased apprehensions of FMUAs in December represented the sixth consecutive month of increased apprehensions.
CNN claimed Trump supporters would say these increases were due to people rushing to the U.S. in advance of the new president’s swearing in.
Under the Obama Administration’s policies, there was no deterrent to FMUA and UAC illegal border crossings.
“We’re not a deterrent because they’re looking for us, so we can be standing there and [the smuggler will] still send them across,” Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Marlene Castro told Fox News Channel’s William La Jeunesse during a December interview. “It’s been a group, and then maybe five minutes later another group, and then half an hour later you’ll see another one.”
The Trump Administration is expected to start building a more secure border, including a wall, Breitbart Texas reported. Newly sworn-in Department of Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly told members of Congress he expects the wall to be “well underway” within two years. He stressed construction of the wall would be prioritized in areas where current gaps in border security exist. He also stated he is listening to the Border Patrol agents on the ground as to their needs to be able to carry out their mission of securing borders.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.