Border Encounters In Biden's Last Full Month In Office At Lowest Level In Over Four Years, DHS Says

December saw a significant drop in daily encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border, reaching the lowest average since July 2020, according to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The total number of migrant encounters for the month clocked in at 96,000.

Mayorkas attributed the decline to a series of actions taken by President Joe Biden's administration last summer. The measures included an executive rule that turns away migrants claiming asylum between ports of entry if there have been more than 2,500 encounters on seven consecutive days. This approach has led to a consistent reduction in encounters, with the daily average now lower than in any month of 2019, Mayorkas said, as reported by ABC News.

The Biden administration is leaving the border in a better place than where they found it, Mayorkas told reporters. He added that the administration's approach has been "tough, humane, legal, and effective." He further noted that the border is now "more secure, more safe, and more orderly" compared to the previous administration. However, he reiterated that a lasting solution lies in comprehensive legislative reform, which he described as essential to fixing a "fundamentally broken" system.

The drop in border encounters follows record-high monthly numbers in late 2023, which became a point of contention in the political landscape and used by Republicans to take shots at Democrats. In addition to addressing the number of encounters, Mayorkas highlighted the administration's efforts in deportations, which reached their highest level since 2014.

"We've listened to our workforce and invested significantly in helping them do their jobs," Mayorkas said, adding that Congress had assisted in increasing border patrol agents by the largest amount in over a decade. As of now, more than 24,000 agents and officers are stationed along the southwest border, supported by thousands of additional personnel.

Looking ahead, the incoming Trump administration has suggested that it may reinstate Title 42 as part of its plan to quickly expel migrants at the border. Trump's reinstatement of Title 42 is said to be among an ambitious plan to issue 100 executive orders during his first days in office, many of them focused on immigration.

Trump also plans to resume border wall construction, expand the use of temporary soft-sided facilities to house migrants, and implement stricter asylum measures. The aim, Miller said, is to deter unauthorized immigration and establish stricter controls at the U.S.-Mexico border.