Encounters with illegal immigrants at the southern border have dropped by 40 percent over the past three weeks, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The department said, however, that it is “still early” to assess the full effect of the executive actions.
It also stressed that the proclamation and other actions by DHS are “no substitute for” congressional actions, noting that DHS still needs additional personnel and funding to combat the border crisis.
Once encounters surpass the 2,500-per-day threshold for seven consecutive days, the border will remain shut until 14 calendar days after the daily average dips below 1,500 encounters between the ports of entry for at least one week.
Border Encounters Surge Under Biden
The executive order, which came under the Immigration and Nationality Act sections 212(f) and 215(a), went into effect immediately after it was signed by President Biden.Along with President Biden’s order, DHS and the Department of Justice issued a joint interim final rule in June, generally restricting asylum eligibility during periods of elevated border encounters for those who cross the southern border unlawfully.
The actions were taken as immigration remains a key issue ahead of the November 2024 presidential elections.
President Biden previously ended many of the policies rolled out during the Trump administration, including the “Remain in Mexico” policy.
He has since sought to distance himself from those claims of similarities between himself and his predecessor, telling reporters during a speech at the White House on June 4 that he would “never demonize immigrants,” or “separate children from their families at the border.”
“I will not ban people from this country because of their religious beliefs,” President Biden said. “The border is not a political issue to be weaponized.”
Lawmakers Fail to Pass Bipartisan Border Measure
According to the latest fact sheet, the DHS has also removed and returned more than 24,000 individuals to more than 20 countries, including by operating more than 100 international repatriation flights, in the three weeks since the executive actions were issued.The department has also “doubled the percentage of noncitizens removed or returned” directly from Border Patrol custody and “doubled the share of encounters” processed through Expedited Removal while in the custody of Border Patrol or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Additionally, the department has decreased the number of people released pending their removal proceedings by more than 65 percent, according to the fact sheet.
Elsewhere in its newly published fact sheet, the DHS took aim at Congress for failing to pass a bipartisan border security agreement that was negotiated in the Senate, noting that the bill would have “provided the critical personnel and funding needed to further secure our Southern border.”
That legislation also would have ordered the suspension of asylum requests and a shutdown of the border for seven consecutive days once daily crossings exceeded an average of 5,000 illegal immigrants encountered per day or if more than 8,500 illegal aliens were encountered in a single day.
However, that measure, which combined border security with aid for Ukraine and Israel, faced stiff opposition from both sides of the aisle.
“The agreement would have added 1,500 Customs and Border Protection agents and officers, added 1,200 ICE personnel, invested in technology to catch illegal fentanyl, and delivered sweeping reforms to the asylum system,” DHS said.
The agency added, “Congress must still act.”
