U.S. Customs and Border Protection reopened four ports of entry along the southern border on Thursday in response to lower numbers of unlawful migrants entering the country.
CBP said earlier this week that it would be reopening the ports of entry in Eagle Pass, Texas; San Diego, California; Lukeville, Arizona; and Nogales, Arizona on January 4.
“CBP will continue to prioritize our border security mission as necessary in response to this evolving situation,” wrote the agency in a statement.
“We continue to assess security situations, adjust our operational plans, and deploy resources to maximize enforcement efforts against those noncitizens who do not use lawful pathways or processes — such as scheduling an appointment via CBP One — and those without a legal basis to remain in the United States.”
CBP previously closed the ports to move resources to other parts of the border that were dealing with a surge of unlawful arrivals, per NBC News.
A senior official from the Biden administration stated that there has been a “significant improvement over where we have been in recent weeks” regarding the number of encounters with unlawful migrants at the southern border, adding that CBP can “normally expect to see encounters decrease over the holiday period,” according to NBC News.
CBP reportedly processed 2,500 unlawful migrants at the southern border on Monday, as reported by CBS News.
Still, the lower number of encounters may not last forever: Citizen journalist Auden B. Cabello posted a video on social media purportedly showing thousands of unlawful migrants outside of Eagle Pass in Texas’ Del Rio Sector, as reported by The Dallas Express.
The Biden senior administration official further told NBC that the closure of ports is “something that we do not take lightly” and that the reduced numbers have allowed CBP to reopen the ports.
“We anticipate the encounter numbers at the border will continue to fluctuate,” the official said.
Much of the reduction in encounters has been credited to an increased law enforcement presence from Mexican authorities, just one week after U.S. officials met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to discuss the influx of arrivals.
“We’ve seen Mexico really step up in terms of taking actions, and so that’s been greatly appreciated,” explained another Biden administration official, according to Fox News.
Meanwhile, Texas has struggled against the inflow of unlawful migrants into the state, with Gov. Greg Abbott referring to a “tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas” that has overwhelmed cities near the border and necessitated a legislative response.
The federal government’s reopening of ports comes shortly after CBP reported more than 300,000 encounters at the southern border in December, the highest number of encounters during a single month, as reported by The Dallas Express.
The previous record was broken in September when CBP reported 269,735 encounters at the southern border.
