The Biden administration’s new asylum policy, which a judge blocked this week, has contributed to a plunge in illegal border crossings at the southern U.S. border.
The governor brought in razor wire, floating barriers and state troopers to deter unauthorized migration. The federal government mounted its first legal pushback this week.
Pandemic-era migration restrictions were lifted without a fresh spike in border crossings. Thousands of migrants now find themselves in a holding pattern.
Despite the relative calm, the Biden administration faces court challenges that they say may undermine efforts to deal with record levels of border crossings.