Following a series of election-year gambits, Border Patrol reports show that migrant apprehensions along the southwest border fell to Trump-era levels for the first time since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office in 2021. According to an unofficial Border Patrol report reviewed by Breitbart Texas, the number of agents encountered fell to just over 56,000 during July.
In February 2021, the first full month of the Biden-Harris administration, agents encountered 97,643 migrants who illegally crossed the southwest U.S.-Mexico border between ports of entry, according to official U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports. From there, the numbers continued to increase, peaking at 249,741 in December 2023. At that point, the Biden-Harris administration entered into an agreement with Mexico to reduce the number of migrants reaching the U.S. southern border during the months leading up to presidential elections in both countries, Breitbart Texas reported.
“Executive action and diplomatic efforts resulted in the current slowing in border crossings, not a big surprise,” a source operating within CBP told Breitbart Texas. “We know consequences work. Sadly, it’s an election year stunt and a charade that will end if this same administration wins in November.”
Late in December, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Department of Homeland Security Secretary traveled to Mexico to meet with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), Breitbart News reported.
The article states that the Mexican president hinted to the U.S. delegation that he would reduce migrant crossings into the U.S. if President Joe Biden provided more aid and support to Latin American dictators. Reports from Mexico indicate AMLO wanted increased support for Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.
An unofficial Border Patrol report reveals that agents encountered just over 56,000 migrants illegally crossing the border between ports of entry in July. This is the lowest number since September 2020, when agents encountered 54,771.
The busiest of the nine southwest border sectors in July were San Diego (just over 15,000), Tucson (nearly 12,000), and El Paso (nearly 12,000).
Following dropping approval ratings for President Biden and Vice President Harris on the topic of immigration and border security and a meeting between the Mexican president and two Biden administration cabinet members, actions taken by the Mexican government led to a drop of more than 125,000 migrant apprehensions in January. Apprehensions from nearly a quarter-million migrants in December to 124,215. As a point of reference, the largest number of migrants encountered during the Trump administration came in May 2019 when agents apprehended 132,856 migrants.
The July encounters report (approximately 56,000) reveals the lowest number of apprehensions during the Biden-Harris administration. In contrast, the lowest number of migrant encounters during the Trump era came in April 2020, when agents apprehended only 16,182 migrants.
A CBP official told Breitbart Texas in February that Mexico’s efforts are not a long-term fix to the problem. “The migrants are just being delayed from reaching the U.S. border,” the source stated. The migrants are being moved further south, delaying their efforts to reach their goal of seeking asylum in the U.S.”
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
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