Friday, May. 7, 2021
Is the Biden administration claiming progress in dealing with the influx of migrants at the southern border?
In an April 30 interview with NBC, President Biden asserted that his administration has made progress in managing a surge in the number of unaccompanied minors taken into custody after being apprehended crossing the border. “We've now gotten control,” he said, when asked about the record numbers.
The number of unaccompanied minors in the custody of the Border Patrol dropped 88% between late March and early May, according to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The average stay for unaccompanied children in Border Patrol custody has dropped from 130 hours in March to 20 hours. Families have also begun to be reunited.
In April the overall number of migrants apprehended at the border remained high. Two news organizations, citing Border Patrol sources, report that the number in April was only slightly lower than March’s 172,000, but showed signs of leveling off.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Today (NBC) President Biden talks about spending, race, pandemic, immigration in an exclusive interview
- Rev Transcript of Biden interview on ‘Today’—discussion begins at 05:20
- CBS News Number of unaccompanied migrant children held by border patrol falls 88% in 5 weeks
- AP News US begins reuniting some families separated at Mexico border
- Washington Post Border crossings leveling off but remain near 20-year high, preliminary April data shows
- Fox News Border numbers show migrant encounters stayed high but leveled off in April - source
- US Customs and Border Protection Southwest Land Border Encounters
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