Migrant Arrests at Southern Border Hit 20-Year High as Title 42 Policy Nears End

U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested nearly 210,000 unauthorized migrants at the southern border in March, the highest monthly total since 2000.

According to a court filing by the agency, Border Patrol encountered over 221,000 migrants at the border last month, a 33% increase from a month earlier and the highest monthly total since President Biden took office. The U.S. has made more than a million arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border since October, which is also the highest six-month total in at least 20 years. The surge comes as the Biden administration plans to end the Title 42 policy that aims to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in migrant detention facilities by allowing border officials to expel migrants before they can claim asylum. Of the 1.01 million crossings so far in 2021, just over half resulted in the migrant being expelled under Title 42.

The news was covered prominently by right-rated sources; few left-rated sources covered it. Reports from the right often highlighted Republicans and some Senate Democrats who have called on the Biden administration to keep Title 42 in place in the absence of another plan. Some coverage from the right also focused on people in border towns and communities who raised concerns vandalism and property theft stemming from the influx of migrants in the area.