Border Crossings Plunge 90% To Historic Lows Under Trump Crackdown

Illegal border crossings this month fell to levels not seen in decades after President Trump intensified his crackdown, newly revealed federal data show.

Early data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) show that only 359 illegal migrants are being processed daily across the southern border, reflecting a 90% decrease from the same period last year, reported the New York Post.

According to internal documents recently shared with the Post, Customs and Border Protection recorded 3,953 illegal migrant encounters through February 11. If that pace holds, total crossings may end up near or below 10,000 for the month, a figure comparable to April 2017, when roughly 11,000 people were taken into custody. That milestone had previously stood out as one of the lowest monthly tallies in recent memory.

“That’s a very, very low number,” said John Gramlich, the associate director at the Pew Research Center, noting that at this time in 2024, officers processed over 4,800 migrants per day.

Mark Krikorian, the executive director at the Center for Immigration Studies, said, “If you kind of break down the numbers … we haven’t had numbers this low since the 1960s.”

Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland in Terrell County, Texas, likewise called it a “relief,” noting the striking contrast with the high crossings previously seen in cooler months.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement ramped up operations under this crackdown, netting 11,000 arrests of illegal migrants in only 18 days. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks credited stronger leadership under President Trump, saying agents “know how to secure the border,” but needed a commander in chief who would empower them.

Federal agencies have paired policy changes with collaboration from Mexico, which sent 10,000 troops to its northern boundary after the White House threatened a hefty tariff if stronger deterrence measures were not introduced.

Additionally, the administration has ended “catch and release,” restarted deportation flights to Venezuela, and begun transferring certain criminal offenders to Guantanamo Bay.

These steps represent a marked departure from earlier strategies and have been credited by some officials with causing the steep decline in attempts to cross the southern border without authorization.