Border Brief: July Border Numbers Show Downward Trend but Apprehensions Remain at Record Highs

WASHINGTON – July border apprehension data came out last week.

On the one hand: The number of migrants who arrived at our southwest border in July is down 21 percent from June and down 43 percent since May. The decrease is due in large part to the Trump Administration’s ability to get Mexico to increase its own immigration enforcement combined with the administration’s efforts to reform asylum laws. It’s also a result of a seasonal decline in border crossings during hot summer months.

On the other hand: Border apprehensions remain at record highs. Despite significant drop offs, July apprehensions were still more than double what they were in 2018.

Stay tuned: Thanks to reduced immigration flows and new funding from the emergency supplemental, law enforcement is better able to process migrants and crowding at border patrol facilities has been reduced. While this is certainly a positive step, historic immigration trends show that migration tends to increase in the fall as temperatures drop. The Trump Administration has done everything it can to address the crisis on its own, but more action is needed. Congress should close the loopholes smugglers and criminals are exploiting, boost interior enforcement, and take further steps to secure the border.

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