Washington, May 13 (RHC)-- The number of migrants arriving at the United States’ southern border with Mexico rose slightly during the month of April compared with the previous month, according to the latest official figures, while the number of children travelling alone to the U.S. decreased.

Statistics released late on Tuesday by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) showed that US officials apprehended 178,622 migrants at the border last month – a three percent increase from March.  The number of unaccompanied children also dropped by 12 percent in April, according to CBP, going from 15,918 in March to 13,962.

A surge in arrivals of migrants and asylum seekers at the US southern border has posed a challenge for President Joe Biden, who has promised to implement more “humane” measures to address migration flows.

While Biden has reversed some key anti-immigration policies put in place by his predecessor Donald Trump, his administration has faced accusations from Republicans that its more lenient policies have encouraged more migrants to come.

According to the CBP figures, the majority of the migrants who arrived in April – 111,714 people – were expelled under Title 42, a health order put in place last year that cited the COVID-19 pandemic to allow for the immediate expulsion of asylum seekers back to Mexico.

Biden has exempted unaccompanied minors from expulsion under Title 42, arguing that children travelling alone are vulnerable and that sending them back to Mexico or to their home countries would endanger them.

Some families travelling with small children have also been released into the US while their claims are being processed.  Nevertheless, Biden has also faced scrutiny over the conditions migrant children face in border facilities, after pictures surfaced showing crowded facilities with children sleeping on thin mattresses on the floor.