Border enforcement actions down for 8th straight month

Feb. 11 (UPI) -- The number of migrants stopped at the border declined for the eighth consecutive month in January, U.S. border officials said Tuesday.

The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol conducted 36,679 enforcement actions at the border in January, including 29,200 apprehensions and 7,479 inadmissibility decisions. This represents an 11 percent decline in apprehensions compared to December and a 4 percent drop in inadmissibility decisions at legal ports of entry.

Compared to January 2019, border enforcement actions were down 37 percent.

"We continue to see positive results because of the steps taken by the Trump Administration to control the border and uphold the rule of law," CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan said. "We've seen eight straight months of decline, but as we see from the seizure of the longest-ever tunnel between the U.S. and Mexico and significant drug seizures, much work remains. We hope that Congress will finally act to address the ongoing crisis on the Southwest border and pass meaningful legislation to strengthen our immigration system."

Speaking to reporters about the figures, Morgan warned CBP is seeing an indication the number of enforcement actions may be on the rise for February. He said there will likely be a spring surge in migration at the southern border.

He said the overall decline in recent months is due to the Trump administration's actions to limit immigration. The majority of people crossing the border in recent months have been single adults from Mexico. Previously, there was an uptick in unaccompanied minors and families from Central America.