Unauthorized Migration Across the Mexico-U.S. Border Slips

Border crossings declined for the third consecutive month in October, but thousands of Haitians and other migrants were waiting in Mexico, hoping to head north.

After a major influx of migrants overwhelmed the southwestern border throughout much of the spring and summer, unauthorized crossings in October were down for the third straight month, federal authorities announced on Monday, with the number of Haitians plummeting by more than 90 percent.

But the drop in Haitian apprehensions probably signals only a temporary pause, as tens of thousands of people from the troubled Caribbean nation were continuing to trek north from South America or were stalled in Mexico, still hoping to reach the United States, border analysts said.

The U.S. Border Patrol intercepted 164,303 people overall along the border with Mexico, a 14 percent decrease from September.