U.S. border arrests drop 17% in November, dousing predictions of post-election surge

SAN DIEGO — U.S. authorities made about 46,700 arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico in November, down about 17% from October to a new low for Joe Biden’s presidency, an official said Tuesday.

The arrest tally marked a decline of more than 80% from an all-time high of nearly 250,000 in December and casts doubt on predictions of an increase ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20.

U.S. authorities made about 700 arrests on the Canadian border in November, down from 1,283 in October, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the figures are preliminary and not made public.

Last week, Trump promised sweeping new tariffs on Mexico and Canada, as well as China, as soon as he takes office as part of his effort to combat illegal immigration and drugs. He railed against an influx of migrants entering the U.S. illegally, eliciting a sharp response from President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, who highlighted the steep drop this year.

U.S. arrests on the Mexican border fell by about half after Mexican authorities increased enforcement within their own borders in December, then plunged by about half again after the Biden administration introduced severe restrictions on seeking asylum at the border.

The November tally was down 16% from 56,530 in October and the lowest mark since July 2020, when there were 38,536 arrests. It was also below each month from October 2018 to August 2019, during Trump’s first term as president.