Illegal border crossings fall in September but hit year high

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. authorities say illegal border crossings from Mexico fell in September for only the second time in 17 months, but the federal fiscal year ended with the highest count ever. Authorities stopped migrants more than 1.7 million times during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, nearly quadruple the previous fiscal year, when COVID-19 first struck. The annual total breaks a previous high set in 2000 and is the highest since the Border Patrol was created in 1924. The numbers aren’t directly comparable because pandemic rules in effect since March 2020 encourage repeat attempts.