Border crossings are down, but still higher than previous years

According to a series of tweets posted Sunday by Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary, Kevin McAleenan, The El Paso Sector has seen a 500% increase in border crossers compared to the fiscal year 2018.

This has forced the Department of Homeland Security to find creative solutions to alleviate the massive influx while “maintaining our security & high standards”

One of the projects is the new Tornillo soft-sided short-term holding facility for adults.

According to McAleenan, short-term holding facilities are designed to do the following:
1) ensure migrants are safe and have access to medical care, food, water, and hygiene products after taking their dangerous journey to the U.S. &
2) allow Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to know who is coming into our country so we can keep out the most dangerous.

McAleenan also tweeted that conditions in CBP border stations have “improved substantially thanks to our international partnerships with Mexico & Central America, & the emergency supplemental funding received from Congress. The numbers in custody have dropped 75% since early June.”

(1/3) @CBP El Paso Sector has seen a 500% increase in border crossers compared to FY18. @DHSgov has been forced to find creative solutions to alleviate the massive influx while maintaining our security & high standards–like the new Tornillo soft-sided facility for adults. pic.twitter.com/sL3oGQz9SS

— Acting Sec. Kevin McAleenan (@DHSMcAleenan) August 18, 2019

(3/3) Conditions in @CBP border stations have improved substantially thanks to our international partnerships with Mexico & Central America, & the emergency supplemental funding received from Congress. The numbers in custody have dropped 75% since early June. pic.twitter.com/K64dgcdI7E

— Acting Sec. Kevin McAleenan (@DHSMcAleenan) August 18, 2019

According to a report from Conservative Review (CR):

According to the data, which was given to CR by a Border Patrol agent who must remain anonymous because he is not authorized to speak to the press, the Texas numbers averaged around 18,000-20,000 per week in May and early June. Then when the president began beefing up the “remain in Mexico” policy, the weekly numbers declined to about 13,000-14,000 during late June and throughout July. Then, just from the final week in July to the first week in August, after the president announced the “safe third country” asylum deal with Guatemala, the numbers dropped 27 percent to under 10,000 for the first time since early in the year.

Although these numbers are only from Texas, the Lone Star State has absorbed about 70 percent of the border flow, and the June numbers from CBP show that apprehensions in Arizona and California have declined even more dramatically. The Rio Grande Valley is still, by far, the worst area of the border, but those numbers are also declining.

Three factors – the “remain in Mexico” policy (expanded to RGV sector July 19), denying asylum to anyone who could have declared asylum in Mexico (announced July 15), and the agreement with Guatemala to serve as a safe third country (announced July 26) – have collectively sent the message to migrants that the days of de facto open borders might be over. Before those elements were in place, the decline resulting from Mexico’s enforcement actions was not that significant.

Texas Representative Chip Roy commented “But as in the past… once the people realize it’s more ‘hype’ than actual actions… Numbers always rise again.”

“But as in the past… once the people realize it’s more ‘hype’ than actual actions… Numbers always rise again.” #StateOfOurBorder (2/2)

— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) August 18, 2019

The only way numbers will stay down is if actual enforcement continues, otherwise, this downturn in the number of crossings will be only momentary and the number of known crossings will continue to skyrocket.