Border arrests have decreased by 40% since asylum processing was paused, according to Homeland Security.

The Homeland Security Department stated Wednesday that arrests for unlawful border crossings had plummeted by more than 40% in the three weeks since asylum processing was paused.

The Border Patrol's average daily arrests over seven days have dropped below 2,400, a more than 40% decrease from when President Joe Biden's proclamation took effect on June 5. That is still above the 1,500 threshold required to resume asylum proceedings, but Homeland Security says it is the lowest amount since Jan. 17, 2021, - a week before Biden took office.

Last Monday, Biden, a Democrat, stated that border arrests have dropped 25% since his order went into force, implying that they have declined significantly since then.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was slated to speak to reporters in Tucson, Arizona, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings for the past year. US authorities said the seven-day daily average of arrests in the Border Patrol's Tucson sector was slightly under 600 on Tuesday, down from just under 1,200 on June 2.

Under the suspension, which takes effect when daily arrests exceed 2,500, everyone who indicates fear or an intention to seek asylum gets evaluated by a US asylum officer, but to a higher level than is now in place. If they pass the screening, they can seek more limited types of humanitarian protection, such as the United Nations Convention Against Torture.