Border Arrests Dropped Sharply In June

The number of migrants arrested by Border Patrol at the U.S.-Mexico border fell 29 percent in June, signaling that a migrant surge that’s taxed federal resources and ignited partisan battles on Capitol Hill may recede this summer.

Border Patrol arrested roughly 95,000 migrants in June, according to figures released Wednesday by Customs and Border Protection. That’s down from nearly 133,000 in May, the highest monthly total since March 2006.

A senior CBP official argued Wednesday that June’s decline was due partly to new border security measures put in place by Mexican and U.S. authorities following talks last month.

“I would attribute Mexico to making some difference,” the official told reporters on a background call.

The official cited Mexican efforts to stop migrants traveling in large groups — defined as more than 100 people — before they reach the U.S. Border Patrol intercepted 15 large groups in June, a sharp drop from the 48 groups encountered a month earlier.