In data released Wednesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported southwest land border encounters increased to 180,034 for the month of May, up from 178,854 in April.
While the 0.66% increase shows an overall consistent number from month to month, the makeup of the migrants has changed.
Encounters with unaccompanied children dropped to 14,158 from the previous month's total of 17,148. a 17% decrease. Meanwhile, the number of single adults encountered climbed from 111,478 in April to 121,082 in May, a 9% increase.
Of these single adults, 53% were Mexican citizens. The number of Mexican single adults crossing has jumped each month since last December.
Tony Payan, Director of the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, told Newsweek this trend indicates a shift in migration patterns from those seeking political asylum to those seeking economic opportunity.
"The economic conditions in Mexico have reached a point of deterioration, and the public safety and security conditions in Mexico have also deteriorated to the point that more Mexicans are now choosing to take the trek north," he said. "This is a big issue, and I think that this is one of the reasons why Kamala Harris was in Mexico."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Alex J. Rouhandeh serves as Newsweek's congressional correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. Over his tenure with ... Read more
