- Apprehensions of immigrations in the country illegally along the U.S.-Mexico border have decreased significantly under President Trump.
- The figure is a barometer of efforts by immigrants to enter the country illegally, and Trump credited his focus on border security.
- Apprehensions for fiscal year 2025 totaled around 238,000 compared to 2.2 million in 2022 and the lowest since 1970.
SALT LAKE CITY — The dip in U.S.-Mexico border apprehensions, which started at the tail end of President Joe Biden's term, has plummeted further under President Donald Trump, reflecting Trump's beefed-up enforcement efforts.
Apprehensions, a barometer of efforts by immigrants to enter the country illegally, spiked in December 2023 to 249,740. That prompted a flurry of visits by GOP lawmakers from Utah, among others, to the U.S.-Mexico border to decry Biden and draw attention to the issue. The monthly total gradually declined through 2024 and has plunged even more to below 10,000 since the inauguration last January of Trump, who has prioritized border security.
"After Biden-era chaos unleashed a record-shattering invasion, the seismic turnaround proves that strong leadership can, in fact, stop the flood of illegal crossings, deadly cartels and security threats dead in their tracks," the White House said in a statement Tuesday.
For fiscal year 2025, which goes from Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, apprehensions at the United States' Southwest border of immigrants in the country illegally totaled around 238,000. Trump took office for his second term in late January, so a portion of the period occurred during Biden's tenure. At any rate, that number compares to 1.53 million for fiscal year 2024, 2.05 million for fiscal year 2023 and 2.21 million for fiscal year 2022.
CBS News on Monday reported that the monthly apprehension figure for September along the U.S.-Mexico border — not yet released on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website — totaled 8,400, contributing to the 238,000 total for fiscal year 2025. That 2025 figure is the lowest since 1970, when apprehensions totaled 201,780, according to U.S. Border Patrol figures, and the White House statement took note of the fact.
Trump's "relentless commitment to securing our homeland has crushed illegal crossings at the southern border," the statement reads.
In December 2024, the last full month of Biden's term, apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border of immigrants in the country illegally totaled 47,324. That fell to 29,107 last January and 8,353 in February. The monthly number has hovered below 10,000 since then as Trump has put a new focus on border security.
In a statement last month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott underscored the impact of the focus on border security. "We are proving every day that tough, consistent enforcement works. Border crossings are at record lows, mass catch-and-release is over and our agents are delivering results for the American people," he said.
