WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th April, 2020) Apprehensions on the on the US border with Mexico dropped last month as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gained a foothold in the United States, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) revealed in data released on Thursday.
CBP data shows border apprehensions on the southern US border dropped from 36,514 in February to 33,937 in March. In four of the last five years, border apprehensions usually increased during the same period.
Moreover, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) published data on Thursday showing 35 migrant detainees in its custody have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
ICE, which has about 35,000 detainees in custody, said in a statement this week that it is reviewing cases of individuals who may be released because of their vulnerability to the virus. As of March 30, ICE has identified 600 detainees as being vulnerable and more than 160 have been released.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States has exceeded 363,000 with 15,776 deaths due to the disease, according to data published by Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.
