W.H.: Illegal Border Crossings Can Spike Depending on the Weather

"Let me say a couple of things about the data and then we will talk about the president's views. The first thing about the data that's important to understand is, we have seen a downward trend over the last four to six weeks of the rate at which unaccompanied children are being apprehended at the border. However, it’s important to understand that, compared to a year ago or even two years ago, there still is — there are still apprehensions taking place at an elevated rate. So while they’ve come down from the peak that we all saw earlier this summer, the rate is still high when you compare it to broader historical trends. The second thing, the second point that I wanted to make on this is that historical trends also indicate that as the weather cools, and as we enter the fall and winter season, traditionally, the rates of apprehension, the rates of those who attempt to illegally enter the country, go back up. And the volatility in these numbers is something that the administration remains concerned about. And it is why we have taken some steps within the executive branch to reprogram some funds and to devote additional resources to the border that, even though we’ve seen a decline in the rate, we want to make sure that resources are necessary if and when volatility is reintroduced into that situation and the numbers start to go back up. We want to make sure that we are ahead of the curve on that."