Biden took executive action on June 4 that authorized the U.S. to turn away migrants who enter the country illegally when crossing levels are high. The policy is triggered anytime unlawful crossings hit an average of 2,500 people a day in a given week.
In remarks posted on June 26, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said Border Patrol encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border had dropped by over 40% since Biden took action.
However, immigration experts have cautioned that it’s difficult to point to any one reason for a drop in crossings at the border, PolitiFact noted in its fact check on this claim.
Immigration rights organizations have sued the Biden administration over the new asylum restrictions at the border.