Border Patrol Arrests Drop to Historic Low in FY 2025

The Trump administration concluded fiscal year 2025 with the fewest arrests by U.S. Border Patrol since 1970. This has been interpreted as a notable achievement, as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported the lowest monthly illegal border encounters recorded.

According to preliminary statistics from DHS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), there were 237,565 arrests in fiscal year 2025, a significant decrease from the 201,780 arrests in fiscal year 1970.

This current figure represents an 87% decline compared to the average of 1.86 million arrests over the previous four fiscal years. Advocates of the administration argue that this success occurred despite the challenges posed by more than three months of what they describe as chaotic border openings under the Biden administration at the start of the fiscal year.

“Fiscal year 2025 shows what happens when we enforce the law without compromise,” remarked CBP Director Rodney Scott. “For too long, officials were hindered by ineffective policies. Now, they have the ability to perform their duties, resulting in the most secure border in modern history.”

Interestingly, September represented the fifth consecutive month without any illegal immigrant releases along the Southwestern border, a stark contrast to the 9,144 releases recorded in September 2024.

Throughout the first eight months of President Trump’s second term, Border Patrol agents logged fewer than 9,000 arrests each month, with July seeing an especially low count of 4,600 arrests, according to internal DHS data.

“Following the turmoil during the Biden administration, this remarkable turnaround shows that effective leadership can indeed reduce the flood of illegal crossings and threats posed by cartels,” the White House stated.

The White House pointed out that in fiscal year 2022, Border Patrol apprehended 2.2 million individuals at the U.S.-Mexico border, marking a record high that was nearly ten times the number seen in 2025.

“President Trump has successfully fulfilled his promise to secure our southern border,” claimed White House Press Secretary Abigail Jackson. “As a result, Americans feel safer, and unlawful drugs and criminal illegal immigrants are no longer entering freely. It seems all we needed was a new president.”

The Department of Homeland Security also emphasized that the year-end figures support their claim of having the most secure border in U.S. history.