SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Migrant advocates, who work with asylum-seekers in an area Border Patrol agents call “Whiskey 8” report seeing fewer migrants unlawfully crossing the border in recent months.
“I’ve been seeing a fewer number of people showing up in places like this,” said Pedro Rios, director of American Friends Service Committee.
Rios and others staff members tend to a number of tents where they hand out snacks and meals to migrants who show up at Whiskey 8 — about 2 miles west of the San Ysidro Port of Entry — before agents come by to pick them up.
“We are definitely seeing fewer numbers,” Rios said. “It could be a couple dozen people, could be a handful of people, and some mornings there is no one here. Last night, for instance, there were approximately 20 people.”
Rios added that they started seeing fewer migrants ever since President Joe Biden signed an executive order that limits asylum.
Biden’s executive order temporarily halts the processing of most asylum claims when unlawful crossings top an average of 2,500 per day during a seven-day period.
The order stipulates that migrants crossing into the U.S. without authorization will not be eligible for asylum, but subject to expedited removal.
Exceptions will be made for unaccompanied children, victims of human trafficking, and other noncitizens with a valid visa or other lawful permission to enter the United States.
Rios believes Biden’s order is one of several reasons discouraging migrants from unlawfully crossing the border.
“There are many factors, that is one of them, as well as the hot summer months, people don’t want to cross during that time. As the fall comes in, we’ll see if the numbers start increasing again, which means the correlation wasn’t there.”
Rios said the Mexican government is also playing a role in limiting the number of migrants approaching the border.
In recent months, Mexico has stationed members of its National Guard and other personnel at the border to prevent people from trying to enter the U.S.
“Even when people are coming to the border they are being sent back to places in southern Mexico and that disrupts their migration.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is also noticing fewer migrants crossing in the San Diego Sector in recent months.
During April, when the sector led the nation in apprehensions, it had 37,371. In the month of June, they had dropped to 26,610.
According to Patricia McGurk-Daniel, Chief Patrol Agent for the San Diego Sector, there were 3,174 apprehensions in the sector between July 28 and Aug. 3. She reported 3,089 the week before.
Official numbers for July won’t be made public until later this month, but Rios and others expect the figures to keep dropping.
