DHS: Pandemic measures cut illegal border crossings by half

FILE - In this Aug. 2, 2019, file photo, migrants return to Mexico as other migrants line up on their way to request asylum in the U.S., at the foot of the Puerta Mexico bridge in Matamoros, Mexico, that crosses into Brownsville, Texas. One by one, asylum-seekers from El Salvador and Honduras who are waiting in Mexico for court hearings in the United States appeared before an immigration judge to explain why, after months of effort, they couldn't find an attorney. Only 5.3% of asylum-seekers subject to the Migrant Protection Protocols, as the "Remain in Mexico" policy is officially known, had lawyers through the end of January, compared with 85% for asylum-seekers nationwide, according to Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. (AP Photo/Emilio Espejel, File)