The number of migrants who illegally crossed the border from Mexico to the US and were detained or denied entry fell in April, according to figures released Tuesday by Customs and Border Protection.

A total of 15,700 people crossed the border in April, 5 percent fewer than the 16,600 who crossed in March.

That figure also reflects a 68 percent decline in border crossings from April 2016, when 48,502 people were detained or denied entry into the US by Border Patrol agents.

Of the 15,700 people who crossed the border in April, 998 were children who were traveling alone and 1,119 were people who were in a family unit, according to the CBP data.

In a meeting with the press, Department of Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan acknowledged on Tuesday that during the month of June there could be an increase in detentions of undocumented migrants along the US-Mexico border because more people try to cross the frontier during the summer.

Lapan said that the decline in migrant arrivals could be attributed to the new policy and the new message being put forth by the Donald Trump administration.

He said that the government has been sending the message not only that crossing the border illegally is dangerous but also that when illegal migrants arrive it's possible that they will be detained.

With US authorities enforcing the law, he said, potential migrants are thinking twice about making the trek.