(MENAFN) According to a senior U.S. official, the number of unauthorized entries along the southern border has significantly dropped to an average of 4,400 per day. This decline comes after a surge of 10,000 entries observed last week just before the expiration of the Title 42 border restrictions. The official attributed this sharp drop to a combination of factors, including increased deportations, stricter asylum rules, and collaborative efforts by other countries to deter migrants heading to the United States.

Over the past two days, U.S. Border Patrol agents recorded fewer than 4,000 apprehensions, indicating a 60% decrease from the record daily border crossings witnessed before May 11, when the Title 42 pandemic-related restrictions on migration came to an end. The expectation was that the expiration of Title 42 would lead to a surge in migration. Although there was indeed an increase in illegal border crossings just before the policy ended, the numbers plummeted soon after.

During a briefing, Blas Nuñez Neto, the Department of Homeland Security's top immigration policy official, highlighted the combined impact of consequences for unlawful entry and expanded lawful pathways as factors contributing to the reduction in encounters at the border. Additionally, he acknowledged the efforts of foreign partners, such as Mexico and Guatemala, who deployed law enforcement and military units to their borders to impede U.S.-bound migration. Similarly, Panamanian and Colombian authorities cracked down on the smuggling of migrants through the challenging Darién Gap, resulting in a decline in entries along that route.

While Title 42 allowed for the summary expulsion of migrants without considering their asylum claims based on public health grounds, it also led to a rise in repeat border crossings among those expelled to Mexico. Expelled individuals did not face the usual consequences under immigration law. In response, the Biden administration has ramped up regular deportations and returns to migrants' home countries and Mexico. Recently, Mexico agreed to accept certain nationals, including Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, who are turned back by the U.S. These formal deportations prohibit reentry to the U.S. for at least five years and subject individuals to potential criminal prosecution if they attempt to enter the country again.

MENAFN18052023000045014228ID1106270968