President Trump’s hardline rhetoric and policies cracking down on illegal immigration could be driving down the number of people illegally crossing the United States’ southern border, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Wednesday.
The Department of Homeland Security touted a steep decline in the number of border crossings in its monthly report for February – the first data to be released on the subject following Trump’s first full month in office.
Customs and Border Protection reported that 18,762 undocumented immigrants were apprehended at the southern border last month, compared to 31,578 in January.
The number of unauthorized border crossings, Kelly said, were down 40 percent in February.
{mosads}”The early results show that enforcement matters, deterrence matters, and that comprehensive immigration enforcement can make an impact,” Kelly said in a statement.
It will likely take some time before it’s clear whether Trump’s tactics are working. Border crossings typically decrease in the winter and increase in the warmer months.
But the numbers are a welcome early marker for the president, who campaigned on the promise of cracking down on illegal immigration.
“The drop in apprehensions shows a marked change in trends,” Kelly said. “Since the Administration’s implementation of Executive Orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years.”
Days after taking office, Trump signed an executive order stepping up border security and authorizing construction of a massive wall along the U.S. southern border, taking the first steps in fulfilling his highest-profile campaign promise.
CBP releases border apprehension numbers on a monthly basis, but the break in a 17-year pattern had some Democrats questioning whether the agency changed its accounting methods.
Rep. Nannette Barragan (D-Calif.) said she was skeptical of the CBP numbers.
“The biggest question is how they came up with those numbers,” she said.
Congressional Hispanic Cacus Chairwoman Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) agreed that the numbers were surprising, but insisted her caucus would hold off on formally challenging the data until a larger pattern emerged.
Asked whether she thought the CPB numbers could be somehow unreliable, she said, “We don’t have any way to make those allegations.”
But Lujan Grisham said the Trump administration’s dissuasive policies use fear as a tactic against immigrants in the country and migrants considering coming to the United States.
“Do I think fear is at play? We know it is,” she said.
“I don’t think [fear] is good, but I can’t argue it’s not a factor,” Lujan Grisham added.
Kelly said this week he would use any means necessary to keep migrants away from the dangers of illegal smuggling routes.
“The decrease is also encouraging news because it means many fewer people are putting themselves and their families at risk of exploitation, assault and injury by human traffickers and the physical dangers of the treacherous journey north,” said Kelly.
Rafael Bernal contributed. Updated 1:24 p.m.