Border Patrol officers apprehended only 16,789 illegal border crossers in April. It's the lowest number of apprehensions since April 2017 just a few months after Pres. Trump took office. The rapid decline in apprehensions is attributed to both the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic situation.
Just one year ago, Border Patrol officers apprehended nearly 120,000 illegal border crossers. At the time, the U.S. unemployment rate was at 3.6%. Earlier today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that unemployment rate is 14.7%.
Also contributing to the reduced number of apprehensions has been the Trump Administration's approach to border security during the Covid-19 pandemic. Nearly every illegal border crosser who is apprehended is put through expedited removal proceedings and quickly returned to their home countries. As word has spread regarding the wider use of expedited removal, fewer unauthorized migrants are seeking to cross the border illegally.
For more information, see CBP.gov.
