Hundreds of additional immigration agents are being sent to the Southwest border to apprehend migrants - part of a broad effort by the Trump administration to crack down on immigration amid the pandemic.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has sent 600 agents to South Texas, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said Friday.

About a third are being deployed to the Laredo sector and the rest to the Rio Grande Valley. The agents are being transferred from positions at airports, which have seen a sharp decline in international travel during the pandemic.

Adding to the buildup at the border, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is sending officers from its investigative unit to the Rio Grande Valley. The agency declined to say how many.

Immigration into the U.S. has dropped significantly this year. The number of migrants applying at ports of entry or apprehended while trying to cross the border without authorization has been lower than that reported during the last fiscal year.

The Trump administration has reduced the number admitted to the U.S. by invoking Title 42 of the U.S. Code, dealing with public health and welfare. Under that order, border agents are bypassing asylum and other immigration proceedings in order to quickly deport about 90 percent of migrants who cross the border.

The number of migrants in Border Patrol custody has shrunk from about 20,000 last year, to 3,400 in February, to about 300 today, Cuellar said.

The reduced population in custody has freed up some 1,500 Border Patrol agents, he said. But 1,200 agents have tested positive for coronavirus or are in quarantine. Cuellar said that was the explanation Homeland Security officials gave him for why personnel from other agencies were being deployed to the border. 

The surge will cost $21 million and will last until the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

The border has seen a shift in the type of migrant attempting to cross, which affects border security strategies.

Last year, the majority were families from Central America and unaccompanied children who sought out Border Patrol officers to petition for asylum. Now, most migrants are adult, male Mexicans - the typical migrant profile from a decade ago.

Under the new policy of quick deportation, and with a smaller chance of winning asylum compared to the Central American families and children, many of the solo migrants are attempting to cross repeatedly below the radar of Border Patrol.

“We’re seeing a recidivism rate of about 35 percent. Why? Partly because they’re Mexicanos - you put them back, then they come back here. They’re a lot closer,” said Cuellar.

So far this fiscal year, Border Patrol has apprehended or expelled 46,000 migrants in the Rio Grande Valley. Nearly 28,000 migrants evaded capture.

In the Laredo sector over the same period, agents captured 22,000 migrants and more than 17,000 evaded capture, Cuellar said.

About a third of all Border Patrol encounters with migrants occurred in South Texas.

The Trump administration is also trying to discourage non-essential travel across the border. Commercial and trade vehicles will be directed toward streamlined lanes at the bridges. By contrast, families on trips deemed non-essential may face delays, Cuellar said.

“They’re not going to deny you” if you’re a citizen or a legal resident on an unessential trip, the congressman said. “But there probably will be less resources — that means less lanes or people handling those folks, which means they will probably see longer lines.”

CBP is rolling out a pilot program at one undisclosed location on the border with Mexico and another on the Canadian border to screen and test for the coronavirus. Those who test positive and are citizens or legal residents will be directed to a quarantine station.

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