Good news from the border. Well, kinda. According to FNC's Bill Melugin, both Republicans and Democrats can claim positive talking points.

Melugin's CBP sources say that in the month of June, 87,670 illegal aliens were apprehended at the southern border. That is the lowest number in over three years. Previously, the lowest number was 75,316 in January 2021. 

It's important to note that these numbers do not include the roughly 60,900 migrants encountered at ports of entry in June. That is mostly due to the use of the CBP One app. Most all of them were released into the United States. 

This number also does not include up to 30,000 illegal aliens per month paroled into the United States via the controversial Biden mass parole program, CHNV. The Biden administration flies them directly into the U.S. 

The Biden administration admits about 70,000 to 80,000 migrants into the United States every single month through both programs. The programs allow migrants to come into the U.S. lawfully with 2-year humanitarian parole grants. This prevents them from crossing the border illegally. Smoke and mirrors, my friends, smoke and mirrors.

Looking at illegal crossings alone - the numbers have fallen off a cliff since Biden's executive order took effect in early June. Other factors include increased enforcement in Mexico, which suddenly began at the start of 2024 after a winter meeting in MX involving MX leadership with Mayorkas & Blinken, and TX's lockdown of its border. Bottom line: The numbers have plummeted from the record highs of 2023. In May 2023, there was a week where Border Patrol apprehended 80,000 illegal immigrants in a single week.  June just had just under 88,000 for the entire month.  Both sides will get talking points out of this data. The Biden admin can say their executive action had a significant impact in curbing illegal crossings, now to the lowest levels of his presidency. Republicans can ask why executive action wasn't taken until months before the 2024 election - after the President repeatedly said he had "done all he can do", and after three years of chaos at the border.

It is business as usual for the numbers to drop in the summer months. The weather is unbearably hot for those crossing the southern border so typically there are fewer who risk it. There actually may be more this year, though, because so many are trying to get inside the United States and scatter before Trump gets back in office if he wins in November. 

The visa situation is troubling. It's scary. 

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) revealed that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has insufficient information on whether nonimmigrant visa holders have been interviewed by the Department of State (DoS).

A recent OIG report shows that between 2020 and 2023, the DoS granted approximately 7.1 million nonimmigrant visas without conducting in-person consular interviews. During the same period, fingerprints were not collected for an undisclosed number of visa applicants.

In December 2023, DoS and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agreed to expand the categories of visas and applicants eligible for interview waivers starting January 1, 2024. The fingerprint waiver program concluded in December 2023.

Yikes! No interviews. No fingerprints. They just kept issuing visas because they were overwhelmed. This is a national security concern. Those terrorists responsible for 9/11/01 were in the United States on expired visas. Now we are being told that visa overstays are a low-priority concern for removal. Isn't anyone worried that history repeats itself?

This is the Department of State's responsibility. 

The DoS issues nonimmigrant visas to individuals seeking entry into the United States temporarily for tourism, medical treatment, business, temporary work, study, or other reasons.

The U.S. allows citizens or nationals of participating countries, mostly in the European Union, to enter the country for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.