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Migrant crossings along the southern border increase as officials prepare for larger spike
Eagle Pass, Texas — The number of migrants crossing the southern border without authorization increased in February after dropping in January, as the Biden administration prepares for a larger spike in migration this spring, two U.S. government officials told CBS News.
Border Patrol agents recorded approximately 140,000 migrant apprehensions between official ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border last month, up from 124,000 in January, when unlawful crossings plunged, the U.S. officials said, requesting anonymity to discuss internal and preliminary government data.
Another 50,000 migrants were processed at ports of entry, where the Biden administration is admitting those who use a government mobile app to secure an appointment to enter the U.S.
The number of migrant crossings in February is still far below the record levels of migration reported in December, when 302,000 migrants were processed by U.S. immigration authorities. But the increase in illegal entries from January indicates that migration is rebounding heading into the spring, when migrant arrivals have spiked in recent years.
In fact, the number of migrant crossings has increased further in March, preliminary figures show. On some days this past week, U.S. border officials processed more than 7,000 migrants in 24 hours.
It’s unclear how long the upward trend in migrant crossings will last, since migration patterns are driven by complex factors, including actions by the Mexican government. After the record influx in crossings in December, the Biden administration convinced the Mexican government to ramp up efforts to stop and deport U.S.-bound migrants.
Illegal crossings have also shifted geographically in recent weeks. Most migrants have been crossing into remote parts of Arizona and California. In Texas, the state with the longest border with Mexico, migrant crossings are down significantly from last year. While Gov. Greg Abbott has said the shift stems from his actions, including the deployment of razor wire near the Rio Grande, U.S. officials said Mexican enforcement has been more pronounced near Texas.
The increase in migrant arrivals could further complicate an already tenuous political and operational situation for President Biden, whose administration has struggled to contain an unprecedented mass migration event. In the past two fiscal years, Border Patrol has recorded over 2 million apprehensions of migrants who entered the country illegally, the highest tallies in the agency’s history.
Polls indicate that immigration could be a top issue in the 2024 election, a potential rematch between Mr. Biden and former President Donald Trump, his Republican rival in 2020. It’s also one of Mr. Biden’s worst-polling issues.
To tackle the expected spike in border arrivals this spring, Mr. Biden is considering issuing an executive order to further restrict access to an outdated and over-saturated asylum system. One of the proposals would involve Mr. Biden invoking a sweeping authority used multiple times by Trump to disqualify migrants from asylum on the basis that their entry is “detrimental” to U.S. interests.
While he did not confirm Mr. Biden would use that legal authority, known as 212(f), Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas suggested that such a move would almost certainly be challenged in court by groups that advocate for migrants.
“Former President Trump invoked 212(f), a statutory provision, and that was enjoined by the courts,” Mayorkas said on “Face the Nation” Sunday. “And so when administrative actions are taken, they are often litigated, and they do not endure.”
“The American people deserve and expect enduring solutions and Congress needs to deliver on the American public’s expectations,” he added.
Earlier this year, a bipartisan group of Senators forged an immigration compromise with the White House that would have tightened asylum rules and given border officials the power to quickly deport migrants from the U.S. during spikes in crossings. Most Republicans in Congress rejected that deal almost immediately after it was released, saying it was not strict enough.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.