Border Apprehensions Drop With Pandemic in Fiscal Year 2020, But Expected to Rise
The number of border apprehensions during the past fiscal year totaled half the amount seen in the previous year, according to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
After a record 978,000 encounters in 2019, CBP reported 458,000 for 2020.
The peak of last year began to decline during the summer months with a drop that acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan attributed to policies of the Trump administration, such as a rule requiring asylum-seekers to initially seek asylum in a country they pass through on their way to the United States.
With the coronavirus pandemic in March, the number of border apprehensions continued to decline, but those numbers have steadily climbed since May and are now higher than the same period last year.
At a press conference looking back at the CBP’s work during the 2020 fiscal year, Morgan cautioned that another increase in attempted illegal border crossings is expected.
“After the pandemic ceases, we will face the same kind of influx of illegal migration that we confronted in 2019. In fact, we’re anticipating it’s likely to be worse due to the deteriorating and worsening economic conditions, not only in Mexico but in the entire Western Hemisphere, that was exasperated by COVID-19,” said Morgan.
