Migrant arrivals soared to record levels in December, before border crackdown was announced

Washington — The number of migrants processed by U.S. authorities along the southern border soared to a monthly record high in December, before President Biden announced tougher enforcement measures that have reduced illegal entries, government figures released Friday show.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials at the U.S.-Mexico border processed migrants 251,487 times last month, a 7% increase from November, fueled by record arrivals of migrants from Cuba and Nicaragua, according to the agency statistics. The previous monthly record was set in May 2022, when CBP recorded over 241,000 migrant encounters along the southern border.

But the sharp increase in unlawful border crossings in December occurred before the Biden administration launched a revamped migration plan that pairs increased expulsions of those entering the U.S. unlawfully with expanded opportunities for vulnerable asylum-seekers and migrants with U.S.-based sponsors to enter the country legally.