Border apprehensions dropped in January according to new data from Customs and Border Protection. Apprehensions were down 27% compared to apprehensions in December. The monthly statistics typically provide a snapshot of how many foreign nationals are trying to cross the border illegally. The drop in January could be due to seasonal flows, but could also be due to the new Trump administration.
The total number of apprehensions at the border in January was 31,575. That's still up from a year ago when apprehensions were only 23,758, but Border Patrol officers reported a surge of illegal border crossings after the November elections. Apprehensions in December 2016 were at 43,272 compared to 37,014 the previous year.
Pres. Trump wasn't sworn in until Jan. 20, so much of the month was still on the Obama administration's watch. The data doesn't indicate if the number of apprehensions changed after the inauguration.
The Trump administration has been bullish on border security. Two weeks ago, Pres. Trump signed an executive order aimed at strengthening border security and called for the completion of the Secure Fence Act that was passed by Congress in 2006 and signed into law by Pres. George W. Bush. The Secure Fence Act requires 700-miles of double-layered fencing along the more populated areas of the U.S.-Mexico border.
For more information, see CNN.
