Migrant arrests drop at US-Mexico border as Biden asylum ban rolls out

9/6/2024 7:36

        The number of migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border dropped on Friday, a senior U.S. border official told Reuters, saying it signaled a restrictive new Biden administration policy was deterring some illegal immigration.
        
        U.S. Border Patrol arrested around 3,100 people crossing illegally, down roughly 20% from the days before, the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss preliminary figures.
        
        "It's still too early to say this is a definitive trend," the official said. "But I think it is indicative of some possible early success."
        
        Immigration has emerged as a top issue for Americans in the months before Nov. 5 elections that will decide control of the White House and Congress. President Joe Biden, a Democrat seeking another term, faces Republican Donald Trump - an immigration hardliner - in a rematch of the 2020 contest.