Biden administration says number of illegal border crossings has drastically fallen as Trump seizes on immigration
Source: CNN Politics
Updated 6:25 PM EDT, Mon September 16, 2024
CNN — US officials on Monday touted another month of low border crossings, citing recent executive action curbing asylum access at the US southern border, even as former President Donald Trump levels campaign attacks over the Biden administration’s handling of border security.
Immigration and border security remain among the top issues for voters, and Trump has made them a cornerstone of his campaign, pinning blame on Vice President Kamala Harris over the handling of the US-Mexico border.
But while border crises have dogged administration officials for the better part of Joe Biden’s presidency, the number of people illegally crossing the border over the last two months has drastically fallen.
“The data published today by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows that since President Biden announced new, decisive executive actions to secure the border on June 4, encounters between ports of entry have dropped significantly and remain at their lowest level in years - July and August saw the lowest encounter levels since September 2020,” White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández said in a statement. The administration, Fernández Hernández said, “has taken effective action, and Republican officials continue to do nothing.”
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/16/politics/border-crossings-immigration-biden-harris-trump/index.html