Democratic candidate for president and vice president Kamala Harris dealt with border security questions during her time CNN town hall this week, responding to arguments that the Biden administration has not acted quickly enough to deal with undocumented migrants entering the U.S.

While the GOP presidential candidate and former Pres Donald Trump described the administration’s actions as a failure, figures over the past four months have shown a steady and significant reduction in the number of apprehensions along the US-Mexico border.

Harris told CNN Anderson Cooper that numbers have more than halved in recent months, newly released statistics show.

claiming

During a CNN Town Hall on October 23, Harris claimed that the Biden administration has more than halved the “flow of immigration” into the US.

“And from today we cut off the flow of immigration by more than half,” Harris said.

The facts

Harris made a claim similar to this during her time 60 minutes interview, saying the immigration flow has halved, updating that figure to “more than halved” during CNN’s town hall.

The vice president was asked by Cooper why the administration did not implement actions to combat migration sooner. Specifically, Cooper questioned why he didn’t implement an order issued in June that barred migrants who crossed the southern border illegally from receiving asylum sooner.

“These actions are not permanent,” a reads the statement from the White House.

“They will be discontinued when the number of migrants crossing the border between ports of entry is low enough for America’s system to safely and efficiently handle border operations.”

Indeed, according Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data for September 2024, there was a 54% reduction in the number of encounters between ports of entry at the south-west border from May 2024, from 117,905 to 53,858.

The percentage drop is smaller if you include meetings between and at ports of entry, falling from 170,716 in May to 101,790 in September, a 40 percent reduction. However, they represent a minority of encounters that have resulted in removals or apprehensions under Title 8 and are probably less frequently considered when considering illegal migration.

The drop in appointments is much higher compared to the numbers a year ago. CBP recorded 218,763 encounters in September 2023 between ports of entry and 269,735 including ports of entry. The figures for September 2024 represent a reduction of 73% and 62% respectively compared to last year.

Both as the statement is likely understood and by the data available to evaluate it, Harris’s claim that the flow of immigration has fallen by more than 50% is fair.

decision

True.

Data for September 2024 show a 54 percent reduction in the number of encounters along the Southwest border between ports of entry compared to May 2024, a month before the Biden administration implemented new restrictions on migrants seeking asylum.

The drop in appointments is even greater compared to the September 2023 dates.

FACT-CHECKING BY Newsweek’s fact-checking team