Immigration reversal as deportations top border arrests

[Geee]

Washington Times

Illegal immigration across the southwestern border is down so much that Homeland Security is now deporting more people each month than it captures coming across, officials announced Thursday, saying they’re now able to eat into the backlog of cases that built up during last year’s surge.

But he said they’re in better shape to deal with the new situation, thanks to the policies put in place and the deals struck with Mexico and Central American countries over the last year, which give the government the chance to do something beyond just releasing illegal immigrants into American communities.

“We’ve got the tools in place now where we have the capacity to remove more people than we’re actually apprehending,” Mr. Morgan told reporters ahead of announcing the February numbers Thursday.

Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan said illegal crossings did tick up slightly in February compared to January’s numbers, but it’s still far lower than the heights of last year’s wave.

The problem has shifted. No longer are Central American families bedeviling border officials, but smugglers are now looking both closer and father afield, turning back to single adult Mexicans and to Brazilian families, Mr. Morgan said.