Fewer migrants have been sent back to Mexico by the Biden administration since the end of Title 42, the 1944 public health law allowing curbs on migration to protect public health.
About 1,000 migrants a day are being sent back to Mexico since Title 42 ended May 11, compared with nearly 3,000 a day in April, according to NBC News.
Under Title 42, migrants were returned over the border and denied the right to seek asylum. U.S. officials turned away migrants more than 2.8 million times. Families and children traveling alone were exempt.
The Biden administration said it had put into place new policies cracking down on illegal crossings after the end of Title 42, but when asked by NBC why a lower percentage had been turned back since the policy ended, the Department of Homeland Security did not respond.
NBC cited potential reasons for the new numbers:
- Increased use of the Customs and Border Protection One app, a phone application allowing migrants to book appointments to come via ports of entry along the southern border.
- It might take longer to process migrants under the new policy.
Illegal border crossings increased by 33% in July after dropping to a two-year low in June.