Big drop-offs continue in illegal immigration levels – and they coincide with the new, tougher border policies planned by the Trump administration.
After falling 40 percent in February, apprehensions of illegal border crossers fell 67 percent in March.
The fresh statistics come from former Border Patrol chief David Aguilar, who previewed the numbers with the Senate Homeland Security Committee. They haven’t been officially released to the public.
The drop-off is taking place even before the president's tough talk has been put into actual policy.
Jessica Vaughan of the Center for Immigration Studies sees good reason to believe the trend will continue.
She also points out that the drop comes at a time of year when illegal immigration usually goes up.
Vaughan notes that the rates demanded by illegal smugglers to get people across the border have gone up, making illegal immigration unaffordable for an increasing number of people.
Vaughan says it's now up to Trump to follow through on his promises of border enforcement and a wall.