HOUSTON – As the year comes to a close, the number of immigrants crossing the border from Mexico into Texas illegally is dropping. “The amount of traffic that we’re encountering here daily has gone down significantly,” said U.S. Border Patrol Agent Herman Rivera. The crisis peaked in May when more than 140,000 people were caught crossing the border or deemed “inadmissible.” But by the end of November, that number dropped to just over 42,000. Rivera believes all of this is why there’s been a decrease in families crossing the border and why those caught crossing, don’t simply surrender like they did earlier this year. “They’re running because they know if they get caught they’re going to get sent back to their country,” Rivera said.