CBP: Biden’s border policies helping with immigration, but local advocates say otherwise

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - Border Patrol officials said illegal border encounters in the southwest dropped by 30% in June, the lowest mark in more than three years.

Dora Rodriguez visits Nogales twice a week to help migrants seeking asylum in the United States.

“I just encountered a mother in Nogales,” Rodriguez said. “She’s crying and she said ‘I can’t go back. I have these teenagers, they will recruit my kids,’ and yet, they were back in Mexico with five years barred.”

President Joe Biden enacted an executive order at the beginning of June – temporarily suspending the entry to certain noncitizens across the southern border -- halting a lot of Rodriguez’s work.

“Cases that we were told that as advocates that were going to be considered for an interview for an agent is not happening,” Rodriguez said.

CBP said it has apprehended almost less than a third of illegal crossers compared to May and June thanks to the policy.

But local advocates said it’s common to see a drop in crossings because of the extreme heat and monsoon storms.

Even with fewer crossings, Pima County said the number of migrant deaths stays the same.

“We’re only 18 days into the month of July,” said Dr. Gregory Hess, the Chief Medical Examiner for the county. “We’ve had 22 migrant deaths in July, which is more than what we had for all the month of June. That’s the exact same number, I’m not kidding, as we had in 2023.”

Rodriguez said policies won’t change migrants’ minds in making it to the United States.

“What we’re seeing now is the increase of people that do not want to be detected by border patrol because they are afraid to be returned even if they have a case, a legit case of asylum of seeking protection that are taking the horrible route of the desert,” Rodriguez said.

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