Trump’s Border Czar Marks Presidents’ Day With Statistic That Puts Biden Admin To Shame

President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, revealed a statistic on Presidents’ Day that indicates the United States is successfully cracking down on illegal crossings in a way not seen in decades.

“In the last 24 hours the US Border Patrol has encountered a total of 229 aliens across the entire southwest border. That is down from a high of over 11,000 a day under [President Joe] Biden,” Homan said in a post to X on Monday. “I started as a Border Patrol Agent in 1984 and I don’t remember the numbers ever being that low. President Trump promised a secure border and he is delivering.”

In the last 24 hours the US Border Patrol has encountered a total of 229 aliens across the entire southwest border. That is down from a high of over 11,000 a day under Biden. I started as a Border Patrol Agent in 1984 and I don’t remember the numbers ever being that low.…

— Thomas D. Homan (@RealTomHoman) February 17, 2025

Journalists, elected officials, and others reacted on X to Homan’s post.

Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, who has covered the immigration issue over the years, said: “229 across the entire southern border. Just wild. I would have trouble finding any illegal aliens if I went down to the border right now.”

“These results are astounding,” said Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott. “It’s great to have a REAL Border Czar and a President who enforces immigration laws.”

“The first time I was in the RGV, I saw almost 300 illegal immigrants in a few hours in one area,” said The Blaze correspondent Julio Rosas, referring to the Rio Grande Valley Sector. “Then it jumped to over 500 illegals at one time. There is a lot left to do with border security/immigration, but these numbers are a huge victory for the Trump administration.”

“For four years, Joe Biden let chaos rule at the border, ignored [GOP governors] who demanded action, and made every excuse under the sun. I’m glad we now have an administration that’s focused on protecting our country,” said Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp.

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Columnist Brian Karem, who has a history of being critical of Trump, said: “Misleading. How many didn’t you encounter? You don’t know. Also if you were understaffed then of course you’d run into fewer. Also, I checked three different Border Patrol stations in Texas alone. All three reported MORE than that number in the last 24 hours.”

“The drastic decrease has as much to do with the tone of the messaging as actual policy. Migrants (rightly) believed they would be rewarded for crossing the border once Biden was elected so they rushed to do it. Now the message is that they will be deported so they aren’t bothering to come. The numbers speak for themselves,” said AG Hamilton, a popular conservative commentary account on X. “This not only limits illegal immigration, saves a lot of taxpayer money, and protects Americans from the impacts of unvetted migration, but also saves a lot of migrants from being taken advantage of by human traffickers.”

The White House listed Homan’s announcement in an email highlighting some of Trump’s accomplishments during the first several weeks of his second administration.

“In his first month back in office, President Donald J. Trump has taken extraordinary action to usher in a new Golden Age of America – through border security, deregulation, government accountability, and leveling the playing field for American workers, to name a few,” the White House said. “The positive effects of President Trump’s policies continue to be felt across the country.”