A Thursday media release by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) claimed that enforcement actions at the Southwest border “decreased by 5% in December as compared to November, representing a 72% decrease since the peak of the humanitarian and border security crisis in May.” It was the 7th straight monthly decrease, CBP said.
The agency defined the enforcement actions in the media release as a combination of apprehensions and inadmissbles. According to CBP, there were 32,858 apprehensions and and 7,762 inadmissibility decisions in December.
A CBP apprehension is defined as “the physical control or temporary detainment of a person who is not lawfully in the U.S., which may or may not result in an arrest.” Inadmissibility is defined with metrics that include the following: “individuals encountered at ports of entry who are seeking lawful admission into the United States but are determined to be inadmissible, individuals presenting themselves to seek humanitarian protection under our laws, and individuals who withdraw an application for admission and return to their countries of origin within a short timeframe.”
The following graph shows statistics since FY 2015. Information for FY 2020 are listed in red for the months of October, Novemver and December of 2019.
CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan credited President Trump in the release.
“This seven month decline is a direct result of President Trump’s network of policy initiatives and our ability to effectively enforce the law, enhance our border security posture and properly care for those in custody,” Morgan said in the release.
CBP also noted that there was a “decrease across all key demographics (such as unaccompanied children), although single adults represent the smallest decrease. CBP Southwest Border Enforcement Actions fiscal year to date are 33% lower than last fiscal year.”
