Number of migrants processed along southern border dropped by 14% in January
CBSN
The number of unauthorized migrants who entered U.S. custody along the border with Mexico decreased by 14% in January from the previous month, reaching the lowest level since February 2021, which marked the start of an unprecedented spike in migrant arrivals, government figures disclosed Wednesday show.
U.S. border officials processed migrants 153,941 times last month, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data provided to a federal court in Texas. While the number represents the second-highest month-to-month drop in migrant apprehensions during the Biden administration, it is an all-time high for January, according to historical Border Patrol data.
More than half of those taken into U.S. border custody in January were swiftly expelled to Mexico or their home countries under the Trump-era Title 42 emergency order, which the government has said remains necessary to curb the transmission of COVID-19 inside migrant detention facilities.
