Apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border saw a significant decline last month, falling to the lowest level in nearly four years.

According to figures released Friday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol reported 56,408 encounters between ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border in July, the lowest montly total since September 2020. It also represents a 32% drop from the month prior.

The White House attributed the figure to the executive order President Joe Biden issued in June giving him the authority to limit crossings at the border when a certain threshold of arrests for illegal entry is reached. July marked the first full month with the order in effect.

"The data published today by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows that after President Biden announced new, decisive executive actions to secure the border on June 4, encounters between ports of entry have dropped significantly," said White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández. "Encounters in July 2024 were the lowest since September 2020 and lower than at this point in 2019."

The figure marks a new low for Biden's presidency amid attacks from Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, the GOP's nominee for president, on the issue of immigration. Since Biden exited the race in favor of Kamala Harris, Republicans have sought to paint the vice president as the "border czar" in an effort to brand her with the administration's policies on immigration, even though that wasn't her role.  

Even before Biden's administration invoked powers to suspend asylum on June 5, border arrests had fallen by about half from a record-high of 250,000 in December amid increased Mexican enforcement. Since June 5, arrests have fallen by half again, helping the White House fend off attacks by Trump and other Republicans that Democrats, including Vice President Harris, have allowed the border to spiral out of control.

The asylum halt would end if daily arrests drop below 1,500 over a seven-day average. The halt would be reinstated if arrests reach a seven-day daily average of 2,500, a threshold of “emergency border circumstances” that was immediately met when the restrictions took effect in June. Immigrant advocacy groups are challenging the asylum measures in court.

Under the halt, U.S. authorities deny a chance at asylum to anyone who crosses the border illegally. Unaccompanied children are exempt, and others may seek asylum-like forms of protection that allow them to stay in the United States with a higher bar and fewer benefits, like the United Nations Convention Against Torture.