Record Low Immigrant Encounters at US-Mexico Border

The Trump administration has reportedly met its goal of securing the US-Mexico border, achieving new records for the lowest number of immigrant encounters. According to the June Southwest Land Border Encounter Report from US Customs and Border Protection, the number of immigrant encounters is set to decline even further.

CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott stated in a release, “From closing illegal crossings to seizing fentanyl, CBP has implemented numerous measures—from enforcing billions in tariffs to protecting our nation.” It seems there’s been a significant shift in focus.

In June, Border Patrol detained 8,024 migrants who crossed illegally between ports of entry. The report describes this as a “new historic low.” The arrests of 6,072 undocumented individuals during this period also reflect a 15% drop from previous records noted in March.

Notably, the administration achieved a record low for illegal crossings on June 28, with only 136 arrests—starkly contrasting with a Biden-era day that saw over 13,000 immigrants apprehended.

Interestingly, there was a case where an immigrant, arrested after crossing illegally, required hospitalization in the U.S. During the Biden administration’s “catch and release” policy, it’s estimated that about 50-70% of those encountered at the borders were often let go in the U.S., leading to many undocumented individuals being left in cities without adequate screening.

The 6,072 arrests in June marked a staggering 93% decline compared to the previous year. In fact, this number is 97% lower than the 222,018 encounters recorded during the peak of the Biden border crisis in December 2022—a month that had more apprehensions than the first five months of the Trump administration combined.

The El Paso Sector was the busiest in June, encountering 1,630 immigrants, followed by the Rio Grande Valley, Tucson, San Diego, and the Del Rio Sector.

Looking at fiscal year 2025, which began on October 1, 2024, agents arrested 218,263 migrants along the southwest border. This is down 84% from the same period the previous year, which saw over 1.3 million arrests. In 2022, the Biden administration encountered more than 2.2 million immigrants at the border.

Interestingly, over 65% of those encountered were single adults, while family units made up around 24%, and unaccompanied foreign children accounted for the remaining 11%.