Arrests for illegal border crossings rose 3% in August, suggesting the decline may be bottoming out

WASHINGTON — Authorities said Monday that arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico rose slightly in August, ending a five-month streak of declines and indicating that the influx of migrants may be stabilizing.

The Border Patrol made 58,038 arrests on the border with Mexico during the month, remaining near a four-year low but up 2.9% from 56,399 in July, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The total was in line with preliminary estimates.

Troy Miller, acting CBP commissioner, said restrictions introduced in June to suspend asylum when illegal border crossings exceed certain thresholds show the government “will take tough action when illegal entry occurs.”

The drop from a record 250,000 arrests in December, partly as a result of increased surveillance by Mexican authorities at the country’s border, is welcome news for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who are fending off Republican accusations that they have allowed the border to get out of control.

“The Biden-Harris administration has taken effective action, and Republican officials continue to do nothing,” White House spokesman Angelo Fernández Hernández said.

Many Republicans have criticized Biden for the new and expanded paths to legal entry, calling them a “three-cup game” aimed at eliminating illegal border crossings.

About 44,700 people entered the country legally from Mexico by booking online through an app called CBP One in August. Since the app was launched in January 2023, the total number of entries has been about 813,000. Additionally, nearly 530,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela entered legally through airports by applying online with a financial sponsor.

San Diego once again emerged as the busiest corridor for illegal border crossings, followed closely by El Paso, Texas, and Tucson, Arizona.