Border Patrol officers apprehended 35,444 illegal border crossers last month, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, marking a 15-month low for apprehensions. In addition, officers encountered 9,806 inadmissibles at a port of entry for a total of 45,250 encounters last month -- also a 15-month low.
Nearly 23,000 of the more than 35,000 illegal border crossers who were apprehended were single adults. That represents a huge shift from this summer when well over 50% of apprehensions were of family units and unaccompanied minors. Only 2,848 unaccompanied minors and 9,733 family units were apprehended last month after crossing the border illegally.
The Trump administration has taken a number of steps to stem the flow of illegal border crossings which were at record-levels earlier this calendar year. The administration has implemented a Remain in Mexico policy, which requires most asylum seekers to stay in Mexico until they can see an immigration judge. The administration has also struck safe-third country agreements with Central American countries, requiring any asylum seekers who pass through those countries to claim asylum there. The Trump administration has also pressured Mexico to step up its efforts in stopping unauthorized migration.
Still, several of the administration's policies to end the border surge have been held up by the courts. Its effort to rewrite the Flores Settlement Agreement, which prevents the feds from detaining minors for longer than 20 days, and to block asylum claims from illegal border crossers have both been subject to nationwide injunctions by federal district judges.
For more on border apprehensions, see the FY20 Southwest Border Migration report.
