Did illegal crossings from Mexico into the US return to ‘crisis’ levels in late 2020?
Official figures suggest unauthorized border crossings from Mexico into the U.S. have in recent months again passed 2014 levels that President Obama termed an “actual humanitarian crisis on the border.”
Figures for unsuccessful border crossings are a closely-watched indicator of immigration pressures. In May 2014, federal agents along the southern border apprehended or denied entry to 1,958 people a day. In May 2019, the number peaked at 4,287 daily encounters. It fell amid pandemic travel restrictions in the U.S. and along migration routes from Central America, hitting a low in April 2020 of 570/day. Attempts then began to rebound, reaching 2,526/day in January 2021.
The numbers suggest the Trump administration’s hardline policies “ultimately failed,” the Bipartisan Policy Center observes, while migrants think the Biden administration “may make access easier and are planning accordingly.”