U.S. Expands Asylum Registration as Border Arrests Surge
With record numbers of migrants crossing the border, the U.S. will employ a relatively untested online registration system for those seeking asylum. The U.S. Border Patrol made about 200,000 arrests at the southern border in July, a 12 percent increase over the previous month.
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The U.S. Border Patrol made about 200,000 arrests at the southern border in July, marking the busiest month at the border in 21 years and a 12 percent increase over the previous month, marking a departure from seasonal trends that would typically see fewer migrants attempting the dangerous journey at the peak of the summer heat, reports the Wall Street Journal. Nearly 19,000 unaccompanied children crossed the border in July—almost equal to the record set this March. And 76,000 parents and children crossed the border together as families, the second-highest total ever and a significant jump from June.
The past six months mark the longest period in recent history that monthly crossings have remained near or above 100,000. In an effort to compensate, Reuters reports that the U.S. will expand an online asylum registration system in the hopes migrants will apply remotely. The online system allows people to register to apply for asylum from phones or computers, an option that could reduce the number of migrants trekking to the U.S.-Mexico border but has yet to be tested broadly.
