Border Arrests Ending Biden’s Term at Lowest Level

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Border arrests for illegally crossing from Mexico in December were little changed from a month earlier, a U.S. official said Monday, hovering near the lowest levels since July 2020 and indicating that an anticipated surge ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as president did not materialize.

There were about 44,000 arrests in December as of Monday morning, suggesting the month will end close to the 46,612 arrests made in November, according to a senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the count is preliminary and has not been made public.

December will mark the sixth straight month that arrests for illegal crossings were lower than the monthly average in 2019, the official said. It also signals that the final full month of President Joe Biden’s presidency will be at or near the lowest level during his four years in office.

When asked to comment on the latest numbers, the Department of Homeland Security released a statement from Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who said that the “swift and effective implementation” of asylum restrictions in June resulted in another month below the 2019 average.

“This sustained success is the result of strong border enforcement, extensive engagement with our foreign partners, and the delivery of safe and lawful pathways that continue to provide humanitarian relief under our laws,” Mayorkas said.

Arrests fell by about half from the all-time high of 250,000 in December 2023 after Mexican officials increased enforcement within their own borders and fell by about half again after Biden introduced severe asylum limits.

Texas’ Rio Grande Valley was the second-busiest corridor for illegal crossings in December, up from fifth in November. This shift was likely a reflection of tactical decisions by smuggling organizations and Mexican law enforcement, the official said. San Diego remained the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, followed by El Paso, Texas in third and Tucson, Arizona in fourth.

Illegal border crossings arise to highest of Biden’s term