Border arrests drop 33% to a 46-month low in July after asylum restrictions take hold

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. authorities say arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico plummeted 33% in July to the lowest level since September 2020, a result of asylum being temporarily suspended. Customs and Border Protection says agents made 56,408 arrests last month, down from 83,536 arrests in June. Asylum was halted at the border June 5 because arrests for illegal crossings topped a threshold of 2,500 a day, though a lack of deportation flights prevents authorities from turning away everyone. That followed a steep decline earlier this year that was widely attributed to Mexican authorities increasing enforcement within their borders.