Border Patrol agents have seen a significant decline in the number of migrants crossing from Mexico into the U.S. since Title 42 expired at midnight Thursday. The numbers had surged during the run-up to the end of pandemic-related restrictions, topping more than 10,000 a day. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that encounters dropped to 6,300 on Friday and about 4,200 on Saturday.
Mayorkas appeared on ABC's 'This Week' to emphasize that the Biden administration had succeeded in conveying the message that America's borders were not open for unrestricted migration. Following expiration of Title 42, new restrictions were swiftly put into place by President Biden's team, effectively restoring Trump-era "transit bans" which allow for deportation of arrivals who did not seek asylum in countries through which they traveled.
Despite concerns over increased crossings after sunsetting Title 42—a public health measure implemented during Covid-19—the number of attempted border crossings has been markedly down. In response to this anticipated surge, an additional one thousand asylum officers were deployed alongside fifteen hundred U.S military personnel assigned logistical tasks along Border Patrol facilities.
In Florida, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Biden administration from allowing certain migrants entry while awaiting immigration proceedings for limited time periods.
A reduction in migrant apprehensions was reported along southwestern regions adjoining Mexico within two days following Title-42’s end: forty-thousand five hundred thirty-four apprehended individuals on May eleventh compared with four thousand four ninety-four on Saturday.
Border patrol officers attribute declining numbers partially due to Texas law enforcement and military forces’ enhanced enforcement activities as well as Mexican government cooperation near southern borders; additionally credited is increasing usage by migrants concerning CBP One mobile app services throughout their journeying experiences abroad or domestically towards American boundaries seeking refuge opportunities available therein provided legally under US protection laws instituted recently according international agreements between nations worldwide regarding humane treatment towards displaced persons seeking safety/security from conflicts/violence occurring elsewhere globally beyond their control or direct influence.
Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas stated on Sunday that U.S. Border Patrol encounters have dropped by half since Title 42 expired, attributing this success to a "vitally important message" encouraging legal pathways for entry into the country. President Biden has expanded these opportunities in an unprecedented way and implemented stiffer penalties under Title 8.
Despite Republican criticisms of "open border" policies and Democratic calls for more action, Secretary Mayorkas asserts that with the fifty percent decrease in encounters, his administration is effectively executing its plans for regulating migration while maintaining consequences for unlawful entry.