Biden administration says number of illegal border crossings has drastically fallen as Trump seizes on immigration
CNN
US officials on Monday touted another month of low border crossings, citing recent executive action curbing asylum access at the US southern border, even as former President Donald Trump levels campaign attacks over the Biden administration’s handling of border security.
US officials on Monday touted another month of low border crossings, citing recent executive action curbing asylum access at the US southern border, even as former President Donald Trump levels campaign attacks over the Biden administration’s handling of border security. Immigration and border security remain among the top issues for voters, and Trump has made them a cornerstone of his campaign, pinning blame on Vice President Kamala Harris over the handling of the US-Mexico border. But while border crises have dogged administration officials for the better part of Joe Biden’s presidency, the number of people illegally crossing the border over the last two months has drastically fallen. In August, Border Patrol recorded about 58,000 encounters between ports of entry along the US southern border, slightly up from July but far below the record numbers in recent months. Encounters between ports of entry have decreased by more than 50% and are the lowest since September 2020, according to US Customs and Border Protection. In September 2020, Border Patrol recorded 54,771 encounters along the US southern border. Administration officials cite the executive action that Biden announced in June, which largely bars migrants from seeking asylum at the US southern border, for the dramatic decline in crossings.
Both President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have encouraged Susie Wiles to take the time she needs away from the White House to deal with her treatment, but Wiles argued she does not plan to do so, people familiar said.
A transparency law passed by Congress has forced the release of more Epstein files than ever before, but some lawmakers and victims are exploring ways to push the Justice Department to disclose even more information from the voluminous trove that’s being withheld.
Former US National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent sat Wednesday for an extensive interview with former Fox News host and right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson, his first public comments since he resigned from his post, citing concerns about the war with Iran.
When Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche arrived on Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon, they hoped to boost members’ confidence on their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Within half an hour, Democratic lawmakers had walked out.
Cuba is going dark under US pressure. How the crisis unfolded and why its troubles are far from over
Almost three months after the US effectively imposed an oil blockade on Cuba that worsened its energy crunch, nearly every aspect of Cuban society has been feeling the strain.
The Department of Homeland Security has been ensnared by a partial government shutdown as Congress did not act to fund the agency by the end of Friday. But nearly all DHS workers will remain on the job — even if many won’t get paid until the lapse ends — and the public probably won’t notice much of a change.
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is moving away from operations tied to the Iran war and sailing to the US Navy’s base in Crete for repairs after a fire broke out in the ship’s laundry area last week, a US official said.
An American college student visiting friends for spring break has gone missing in Spain, his family said, adding police have his phone.
A typically friendly setting for one of their own turned tense on Capitol Hill Wednesday with senators grilling Markwayne Mullin for roughly three hours as he vies to become President Donald Trump’s next Department of Homeland Security chief.
Top Trump administration officials testified publicly Wednesday for the first time since the launch of the Iran war three weeks ago.
The White House is temporarily lifting key limits on the shipping of oil, gas and other commodities throughout the US, in its latest effort to counter rising energy prices sparked by its war with Iran.
Any attempt by the United States to take control of Cuba would be met with “impregnable resistance,” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Tuesday, as power returned to some parts of the island following a nationwide grid collapse.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and asserted it does not have new evidence to prosecute anyone for crimes related to the convicted sex offender, in an interview released Tuesday.