EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — The number of migrants arrested for crossing the border illegally in October rose slightly from the previous month, but remains among the lowest in years, according to newly released data.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered 56,530 migrants in October, the first month of the Fiscal Year 2025. The arrests rose about 5% percent from the 53,530 in September but fell more than 70% from 188,749 last October.
Department of Homeland Security officials credit the rules the Biden administration implemented on June 4 that deny asylum to migrants who enter the U.S. illegally and require asylum-seekers to request an interview at a designated port of entry using the CBP One app.
Migrant encounters at ports of entry shot up in mid-2023, going from about 28,000 in April to 45,000 in June. Those numbers have been hovering around 50,000 every month since and increased by about 2,000 from September to October.