Trump administration claims 15 months of zero border releases

The Donald Trump administration has said the United States has recorded 15 consecutive months without releases of undocumented migrants at the border, citing tighter immigration enforcement and a sharp decline in crossings.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said Border Patrol agents apprehended 9,295 migrants along the southwest border in July, six per cent fewer than in June.

Crossings remain low

According to the administration, the latest figures underline a sustained decline in illegal border crossings following the immigration and border-security measures introduced under President Trump.

The administration said July marked the 15th consecutive month in which Border Patrol did not release migrants apprehended along the southwest border into the United States, describing the trend as evidence of stricter enforcement.

Officials said the decline came despite July traditionally being a period when border authorities have had to deal with significant migration flows.

The Trump administration has made tougher immigration enforcement a central policy priority, with measures aimed at deterring illegal crossings, expanding detention and deportation efforts and limiting the release of migrants pending immigration proceedings.

Enforcement intensified

The administration has attributed the reduction in crossings to stronger border enforcement and changes in the way migrants apprehended after entering the country illegally are processed.

The latest numbers continue a trend highlighted by the administration as it seeks to demonstrate the impact of its immigration policies.

Trump returned to office with a pledge to tighten the US-Mexico border and undertake a major crackdown on illegal immigration. His administration has since pursued a series of measures aimed at strengthening enforcement at the border as well as within the country.

The administration has repeatedly argued that stricter enforcement and the prospect of detention or removal discourage migrants from attempting to enter the United States illegally.

The latest DHS and CBP figures are being presented by the administration as further evidence that its approach has reduced pressure on the southwest border.