The number of foreign nationals apprehended entering the U.S. illegally reached its lowest level in recorded history in February.
Last month, only 8,326 apprehensions and encounters were reported at the southwest border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced, “the lowest documented by U.S. Border Patrol.”
That’s down from 189,913 in February 2024, 156,630 in February 2023 and 166,010 in February 2022, excluding those who illegally entered and evaded capture, according to CBP data.
In just the first 10 days of the Trump administration, apprehensions dropped by 85% between ports of entry at the southwest border and 93% at ports of entry as a result of policies implemented by the Trump administration.
On his first day in office, Trump issued multiple executive orders to secure U.S. borders, including declaring an invasion, a national emergency at both the southwest and northern borders, and directed the U.S. military to assist with apprehensions and deportations, The Center Square reported.
“The mission is clear: secure the border, enforce the law, and protect American sovereignty,” CBP said.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, “February was the lowest month in recorded history for encounters at our border. The world is hearing our message: do not come to our country illegally. If you do, we will find you, arrest you, and send you back.”
She made the announcement after she issued warnings to those in the country illegally and abroad in several ad campaigns that are currently running, The Center Square reported.
In them, she explains that those in the country illegally have the opportunity to self-deport and potentially return in the future. If they don’t, she said, “you will never return.”
In response to the news, Trump issued a statement on Truth Social, stating, in “the month of February, my first full month in office, had the lowest number of illegal immigrants trying to enter our country in history – BY FAR! There were only 8,326 apprehensions of illegals by Border Patrol at the US-Mexico border, all of whom were quickly ejected from our nation or, when necessary, prosecuted for crimes against the United States of America.
“Thanks to Trump administration policies, the border is closed to all illegal immigrants. Anyone who tries to illegally enter the USA will face significant criminal penalties and immediate deportation.”
CBP made the announcement after a record 14 million illegal border crossers from over 160 countries, including more than two million gotaways, were reported under the Biden administration, The Center Square exclusively reported.
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According to CBP data, this fiscal year through January, the majority attempting to illegally enter are single adults of more than 208,000; followed by more than 126,000 individuals claiming to be in family units, and more than 23,000 unaccompanied minors.
Notably, the number of children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border has plummeted under the Trump administration.
Numerous reports indicate that the children were smuggled to the U.S. under the guise of reconnecting with a family member and not safeguarded by a federal program designed to oversee their care once they were in the U.S., The Center Square reported. Under the Biden administration, children were sent to live with unvetted sponsors who weren’t family members and were unknown to them, including gang members and alleged sex and labor traffickers, The Center Square reported.
Additionally, the Biden administration lost track of them, congressional investigators found, resulting in congressional subpoenas, investigations and multiple hearings.
The Trump administration has prioritized finding them. Trump’s border czar Tom Homan has made it a priority to find more than “300,000 children that were smuggled into this country at the hands of criminal cartels” under the Biden administration, The Center Square reported.
Syndicated with permission from The Center Square.
