SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced Thursday a decrease in illegal entries into San Diego from the southern border.
Officials said agents in the San Diego Sector made 51,821 apprehensions of undocumented migrants through August, with only a few weeks remaining for fiscal year 2019.
For the month of March, San Diego Sector saw the highest number of apprehensions with 6,880.
Since then, there has been a consistent month-to-month decrease, with the lowest number of apprehensions in August at just 3,326.
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The 51 percent decrease has officials satisfied with the progress made when it comes to securing the border, although the overall numbers are higher than last fiscal year.
"This is a welcome relief and an indication that our efforts and those of our partners are having significant positive effects," said Chief Border Patrol Agent Douglas Harrison.
Harrison credits an agreement signed between the U.S. and Mexico months ago that led to Mexico deploying thousands of its National Guard troops along its borders.
Mexico agreed to send 10,000 troops to its southern border with Guatemala and 15,000 to its northern border with the U.S.
The expansion of the Migrant Protection Protocols program, which returns some Central American migrants to Mexico while they go through their immigration proceedings, was also credited.
There was also a 50 percent drop in the number of detainees being sent to the hospital for medical issues in August compared to July.
There were 461 admissions in July and 226 in August.
Along the San Diego border, more than 26,166 people of the 51,821 apprehended are mostly from Central America, Harrison said this makes it difficult to return the individuals to their home countries quickly.
