The Magic Power of Enforcement? Texas Border Crossings Cut In Half

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Something funny begins to happen when our government finally enforces some of our laws and sovereignty. According to weekly data from Texas’ Department of Public Safety used internally by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and obtained by CR, 9,407 illegal aliens were apprehended during the first week of August in Texas, a 54 percent decline since the highest weekly rate of May and June. Even more enforcement would likely result in an even sharper decline.

Where the numbers stand today

According to the data, which was given to CR by a Border Patrol agent who must remain anonymous because he is not authorized to speak to the press, the Texas numbers averaged around 18,000-20,000 per week in May and early June. Then when the president began beefing up the “remain in Mexico” policy, the weekly numbers declined to about 13,000-14,000 during late June and throughout July. Then, just from the final week in July to the first week in August, after the president announced the “safe third country” asylum deal with Guatemala, the numbers dropped 27 percent to under 10,000 for the first time since early in the year.

Although these numbers are only from Texas, the Lone Star State has absorbed about 70 percent of the border flow, and the June numbers from CBP show that apprehensions in Arizona and California have declined even more dramatically. The Rio Grande Valley is still, by far, the worst area of the border, but those numbers are also declining.

Three factors – the “remain in Mexico” policy (expanded to RGV sector July 19), denying asylum to anyone who could have declared asylum in Mexico (announced July 15), and the agreement with Guatemala to serve as a safe third country (announced July 26) – have collectively sent the message to migrants that the days of de facto open borders might be over. Before those elements were in place, the decline resulting from Mexico’s enforcement actions was not that significant.

The important lesson here is for the president to double down on what’s working and turn back everyone at the border rather than just relying on the hype of what he might do. As Rep. Chip Roy reported: --->

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