WASHINGTON — The flow of people into the U.S. over the southwest border has slumped in the first four months of the year by one key metric, according to the Biden administration, which attributed the decline to increased enforcement and steps taken to stem the flow by Mexico and other countries farther south.
The number of encounters between migrants and immigration authorities during the first fourth months of this year are down 40 percent compared with the final four months of last year, according to senior administration officials, who spoke on condition they not be identified.
The decline implies that the number of arrivals by undocumented migrants has continued to slide from March into April, the first time during the Biden administration that the figures slowed during that span despite warmer weather, when the figures would typically rise.
Customs and Border Protection data show that border encounters fell to about 190,000 per month in February and March, down from a record of more than 300,000 in December, after Mexico restored funding for migration services and ramped up deportations.
