Under President Donald J. Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, apprehensions along the Southern border have fallen to a record low.
In February, the first full month of Trump’s term, only 8,326 illegal immigrants were apprehended along the U.S.-Mexico Border, according to newly released numbers.
On Saturday, February 22, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered just 200 illegal aliens at the Southern border – the “lowest number of apprehensions in a single day in over 15 years.”
President Trump issued a statement following the release of February’s numbers, which you can read below:
Secretary of Homeland Security Krisi Noem posted about the news on X:
The numbers detailed above are a far cry from previous years under the Biden administration, which oversaw the worst illegal immigration crisis in history. In February 2022, CBP encountered an average of 5,900 illegal immigrants per day. The previous administration saw (including ports of entry) 189,913 border encounters in February 2024; 156,630 in February 2023; and 166,010 in February 2022.
In December 2023, CBP apprehended a staggering 301,981 illegal immigrants, an all-time high. During the Biden administration’s four years, apprehensions along the Southern border consistently ranged between 100,000 – 300,000 per month. You can see the staggering drop off in illegal immigration beginning in January 2025, below (February not yet included).
Between the start of Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 and FY 2024, CBP encountered more than 10.8 million illegal aliens nationwide, including more than 8.72 million at the Southern border.
Todd Bensman, a border expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, said that President Trump’s success dispels the idea that any immigration bill was needed to secure the Southern border.
“There’s no intellectual choice left now but to just finally accept that starting and stopping events like this is so simple,” Bensman told The Washington Times. “You just detain, expel, deport. That’s it. That’s closing the border. It’s nothing complicated.”
President Trump has taken numerous actions to secure the border and keep citizens safe during his first month in office. The president has:
Declared a national emergency at the Southern border.
Sent thousands of troops to help secure the border.
Directed the construction of additional portions of a wall along the Southern border.
Designated drug cartels such as Tren de Aragua (TdA) and La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) as foreign terrorist organizations.
Ended the use of the CBP One app which allowed migrants to schedule an appointment to apply for asylum, and then be “paroled” in the U.S.
Ended the Biden administration’s extension of the Venezuelan Temporary Protected Status and the Haitian Temporary Protected Status.
Signed the Laken Riley Act into law.
Increased arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by 627%.
Froze funding to non-governmental organizations that facilitate illegal immigration.
Reinstated the “remain in Mexico” policy that requires non-Mexican asylum seekers to wait in Mexico before their cases are resolved.
Ended “catch-and-release,” a policy releasing illegal aliens caught along the Southern border into the United States.
The United States government’s refusal in recent years to enforce immigration law and secure the Southern border harmed our nation and illegal aliens themselves – particularly women and children. Women and children are routinely smuggled and trafficked by the drug cartels in Central and South America on their journey north.
Since 2020, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) encountered 515,000 unaccompanied minors at the border – tragically, an estimated 75% were sexually abused by their smugglers.
A separate study from the Coalition Against Trafficking in Woman estimated that a similar amount – 60% – of unaccompanied alien children are caught by the cartels and exploited through child pornography and drug trafficking.
According to a September 2024 report, “Unaccompanied Alien Children: An Overview,” from the Congressional Research Service, an estimated two-thirds of unaccompanied children released to sponsors in the United States end up in child labor trafficking, working full-time jobs.
The report said that “Children as young as 12 years old, who were required to be enrolled in school, were reportedly working full-time, including nightshifts, in hazardous jobs such as roofing, meat processing, dairy farming, and lumber manufacturing.”
Additionally, Amnesty International reports that as many as six in ten women and girls are raped on the dangerous journey north.
For all these reasons, it is far from compassionate to turn a blind eye to the drastically negative consequences of illegal immigration. Indeed, both the United States and illegal immigrants themselves are far better off when our nation has a safe and secure Southern border.
We thank President Trump for taking so many actions towards that end.
To speak with a family help specialist or request resources, please call us at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).
Related articles and resources:
Identifying the Signs of Human Trafficking
Human Trafficking: Is My Daughter a Target?
How to Fight Human Trafficking
My Rescue From Human Trafficking to New Life in Christ
Trump Executive Orders Target Illegal Immigration, Troops Sent to Border
Trump’s Border Czar Explains Child Trafficking Under Biden Administration
American Immigration System Loses Contact with Tens of Thousands of Migrant Children
Talking to Your Kids About Illegal Immigration
It’s Compassionate to Oppose Illegal Immigration. Here’s Why.
Photo from Getty Images.
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