The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in a press release border apprehension numbers from June. Overall apprehensions for June total 104,344, a 28 percent drop from May’s 13-year high of 144,278.

However, June’s apprehension numbers are still roughly equivalent to the entire population of Tyler and are 142 percent higher than FY 2018 June apprehensions.

This is now the fourth consecutive month that apprehensions have topped six-figures.

DHS acting secretary Kevin McAleenan stated, “DHS has been taking a ‘whole of government’ approach to confront the ongoing crisis and fulfill our humanitarian and security obligations” which includes focusing personnel at highly trafficked areas, utilizing help from the Department of Defense, increasing medical services, creating additional holding facilities, improving rescue procedures, and pushing for the aid that Congress approved in late-June after a months-long fight.

This drop not only occurs at a time when the summer heat is peaking, but also after Mexico sent 6,000 troops to secure its southern border.

McAleenan added, “Since the administration reached a new agreement with Mexico, we’ve seen a substantial increase in the number of interdictions on the Mexican southern border.”

“These initiatives are making an impact,” McAleenan stated, but continued, “However, we are still in an ongoing border security and humanitarian crisis.”

He concluded, “In order for us to solve this crisis and to create lasting change at the border, we must address the vulnerabilities in our legal framework.”

Every month, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) tracks individuals and family units caught after illegally crossing the border between ports of entry as well as those stopped at ports of entry or turn themselves in and are declared “inadmissible.”

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