Fewer migrants are crossing America’s southern border

Figures released on May 15th show that, after a peak in December of 302,000 apprehensions, the most ever, encounters at the border tumbled by 42% to roughly 180,000 and have stayed relatively flat since January (see chart). That is still high compared with pre-pandemic figures, but it is a marked improvement, and one that President Joe Biden will be thankful for in an election year.