PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP’S EFFORTS TO COMBAT THE CRISIS AT OUR SOUTHERN BORDER ARE DELIVERING RESULTS

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 8, 2019 PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP’S EFFORTS TO COMBAT THE CRISIS AT OUR SOUTHERN BORDER ARE DELIVERING RESULTS “We have taken very unprecedented action to stop the flow of illegal immigration.” – President Donald J. Trump  STEMMING THE SURGE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to confront this crisis are delivering results.  September saw 52,546 aliens apprehended or deemed inadmissible at the southern border, the lowest numbers for any month in fiscal year (FY) 2019. This marked a decline of more than 60 percent from the peak in May 2019.  Border Patrol apprehensions between ports of entry totaled 40,507 in September, a 20 percent decline from August. September marked the fourth consecutive month that apprehensions declined.  Border Patrol apprehensions have declined by an average of 26 percent each month over the past four months. STEPPING UP TO SECURE THE BORDER: Though Congress has failed to act to address this crisis, President Trump has stepped up.  President Trump has worked to get other countries in the region, like Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, to step up and do their part to address this crisis. Mexico has enhanced their border security efforts thanks to President Trump’s negotiating, deploying thousands of troops to address this crisis. The Administration has expanded the Migrant Protection Protocols to require aliens to wait in Mexico while their immigration cases proceed, pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(C). The Administration reached an agreement in principal with Guatemala, consistent with 8 U.S.C. § 1158(a)(2)(A), to have migrants apply for asylum there. The Administration negotiated agreements with El Salvador and Honduras on asylum. The Administration is working with other countries in the region to target human smugglers. The President is continuing to build the wall, with 163 miles of new border wall system under construction now and 450 miles expected to be completed by the end of next year. COMMITTED TO STOPPING THIS CRISIS: While the President has achieved progress, we continue to face a dire crisis at our border due to Congressional Democrat-backed policies.   Congressional Democrat-backed policies created this crisis, yet they have failed to step up and take action to fix it. The Administration has rigorously enforced the laws as written and enacted. Unfortunately, activist judges continue to impede our ability to follow the law as written. In total, more than 977,000 aliens were apprehended or deemed inadmissible at our southern border in FY 2019 – an 88 percent increase from FY 2018.  Border Patrol apprehended more than 851,000 aliens between ports of entry in FY 2019, an increase of more than 115 percent from FY 2018. We experienced an overwhelming number of family unit aliens and unaccompanied minors at our border – putting an incredible strain on border personnel, facilities, and local communities.  Border Patrol apprehended a record 473,682 family unit aliens in FY 2019, which is 342 percent higher than the previous record set in FY 2018. Border Patrol saw a 52 percent increase in apprehensions of unaccompanied minors, rising to 76,000 in FY 2019.