Illegal immigration plummeted in 2020
Bottom Line: The US Customs and Border Protection agency has completed the 2020 Southwest Border Migration report. Illegal border crossings across our Southwest border were the lowest in four years and it wasn’t a coincidence. The federal government’s fiscal year runs October through September, so with the September numbers in we now have the complete look at 2020’s attempted illegal immigration at our southern border. Here’s are a few highlights:
- 458,088 unlawful crossings were attempted at our Southern border
- Overall crossings declined by 53% over 2019
- Total crossings were the lowest since 2017
It’s rather remarkable to have illegal border crossings drop by more than half but that’s what’s happened over the past year. A combination of completed border wall and a decline in organized caravans has led to the dramatic improvement. As of Monday, Customs and Border Patrol reported the completion of the expansion of greater than 371 miles of additional wall along our southern border, with some of the most exploited areas now being accounted for and construction ongoing. The progress with the wall along with the stalling of organized caravans orchestrated by American interest groups, like Pueblo Sin Fronteras, during the pandemic have led to a huge improvement in illegal crossings. Still, with an average of over 1,200 illegal crossings attempted per day there’s more work to do, but it’s clear that The Wall is working.