Migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border are on the rise again — on pace to match or beat previous record levels.
Border Patrol agents have apprehended around 140,000 migrants who crossed the border into the U.S. without authorization in the first 20 days of September — this averages out to around 6,900 people per day, CBS News reported. It also “represents a 60% increase from the daily average of 4,300 in July.”
The number of people attempting to cross illegally has been on the rise since May, “when the U.S. rolled out stricter new asylum rules,” according to Reuters.
On Tuesday, the mayor of Eagle Pass, Texas, declared a state of emergency because of a “severe undocumented immigrant surge” into the city — thousands of people migrated into the city over the last week, per Reuters.
Why immigration numbers will likely continue to rise
According to a senior policy analyst at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute in Washington, Ariel Ruiz Soto, the numbers are likely to continue increasing, due to three factors.
Here’s what he told CNN:
- More Venezuelans are braving the Darien Gap to escape the socioeconomic crisis in the country — 1 out of every 4 Venezuelans has tried to flee since 2015.
- Many of those attempting border crossings have been waiting in Mexico for months, likely waiting to see when they could cross.
- More Mexican people are migrating due to violence in certain regions of the country. “More Mexicans are trying to come,” he said.
Hundreds of people die each year trying to cross the border. Recently, there were two people who died near the Rio Grande River — one is a 3-year-old child authorities believe drowned while crossing, BBC reported.
Why the Biden administration will extend legal status to 470,000 Venezuelans
The temporary legal status granted to the 472,000 Venezuelans already living in the U.S. allows them to be eligible to work. According to The Associated Press, “The Homeland Security Department plans to grant Temporary Protected Status to an estimated 472,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the country as of July 31.”
The move could appease Democratic leaders who have argued the White House should be doing more to help asylum-seekers, but it could also provide ammo in the Republicans’ arsenal that the Biden administration hasn’t done enough to secure the border.