Record High Crossings at the U.S. Southern Border

The number of migrants caught crossing the U.S. southern border has reached a record high for the third consecutive year, with over 2.4 million apprehensions in the 2023 fiscal year. This comes at a time when global migration is at historic levels. The issue of immigration poses a political vulnerability for President Biden ahead of the 2024 presidential election, with Republicans criticizing his border policies as weak. The Biden administration has implemented new enforcement policies and legal pathways to reduce illegal crossings, but the demand still exceeds the available appointments. Venezuelans now make up the largest group of illegal border crossers after Mexicans, and the U.S. has recently eased some sanctions on Venezuela in hopes of stabilizing the country and deterring people from leaving.