The Trump administration says there was a 30% drop in the number of people apprehended at the southern U.S. border from July to August, amid an aggressive crackdown by the Mexican government on migrants traveling north.
Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan says the percentage of border crossers who are traveling as families also slid. He says that’s a welcome change for federal authorities who claim adults bring children to the U.S. because the government can't detain them for as long.
Migrants traveling in families and unaccompanied children accounted for 57% of border arrests in August, down from 67% in July and 72% in May. Morgan credits President Donald Trump's efforts to reduce immigration as well as the Mexican government's clampdown on migrants traveling north, which it says resulted in a 56% reduction in three months. He says the drop has "nothing to do" with seasonal trends in which fewer migrants cross during the hot summer months.
Yuma, Arizona, saw a dramatic spike in the number of families and unaccompanied children coming to the border over the past two years, making it the third-busiest sector in the Southwest.
So far this year, the Yuma sector has seen over 51,000 family units. That's compared to just over 10,700 the year before— a 316% increase.
