October saw 14% drop in illegal border crossings

WASHINGTON — Illegal border crossings from Mexico fell 14% in October from a month earlier, U.S. authorities said Tuesday, ending a three-month streak of big increases.

U.S. officials highlighted the resumption of deportation flights to Venezuela on Oct. 18, shortly after Venezuelans replaced Mexicans as the largest nationality appearing at the border. Arrests of Venezuelans plummeted 45% to 29,637 from 54,833, still second only to Mexicans.

Arrests for illegal crossings totaled 188,778 for all nationalities in October, down from 218,763 in September, which was the second-highest month on record. Arrests had more than doubled over the previous three months as migrants and smugglers adjusted to new asylum regulations introduced in May.

Arrests of Chinese rose slightly to 4,247, with 99% of them in the San Diego area, as more fly to Ecuador and make their way to the U.S. border amid a faltering economy at home.

“We continue to enhance our border security posture and remain vigilant,” said Troy Miller, the acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner, who urged Congress to approve President Joe Biden’s supplemental budget request for $13.6 billion in border-related spending.

While crossings remain unusually high, the monthly decline is a rare piece of welcome news for a White House that has been criticized for its immigration policies.

Biden’s approach at the border combines new legal pathways to enter the country with more restrictions on asylum for those who cross the border illegally. Including those legal pathways, migrants crossed the border 240,988 times in October, down 11% in September.