Illegal immigration up again in December; back to Obama levels

Illegal immigration at the southwest border ticked up again in December, according to the latest numbers released Tuesday that showed an increasing flow of people showing up at the ports of entry demanding to be admitted. Actual arrests by the Border Patrol dropped slightly in December, but the number of people showing up at official ports of entry jumped 16 percent last month, and is now back to higher than where it was in January 2017 under President Barack Obama. Homeland Security officials said that the numbers still show progress under President Trump, when 2017 is viewed in total. “This administration has overseen a 40 percent decrease in 2017 compared with the last year of Obama’s presidency,” said Tyler Q. Houlton, acting press secretary. But the latest trends have suggested those gains Mr. Trump made early in his term have evaporated. link