The Trump administration announced what it described as a “historic milestone” in border security this week, reporting the lowest number of migrant encounters ever recorded for the month of October in U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) history.
Preliminary data for October 2025, marking the start of Fiscal Year 2026, showed just 30,561 total encounters nationwide — a 29 percent drop from the previous record low set in 2012 and a staggering 79 percent decline compared to October 2024.
For the sixth consecutive month, the U.S. Border Patrol reported zero releases of migrants into the interior of the country, an achievement CBP officials said is without precedent in modern border enforcement.
“Our mission is simple: secure the border and safeguard this nation,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. “No excuses. No politics. Just results delivered by the most dedicated law enforcement professionals in the country. We’re not easing up—we’re pushing even harder.”
Since President Donald J. Trump’s return to the White House in January, apprehensions have averaged fewer than 10,000 per month nationwide. Along the Southwest border, the daily average of arrests has dropped to just 258 — down sharply from 5,110 per day during what officials referred to as “the former Biden regime.” CBP credited the progress to the work of over 67,000 personnel deployed across land, air, and sea operations.
The administration’s approach has included a mix of strict enforcement, expanded detention capacity, and bilateral agreements with regional partners aimed at curbing illegal crossings before they reach U.S. soil. Crossings at the southern border have now fallen to their lowest level in 55 years. Total apprehensions during Fiscal Year 2025 dropped to roughly 237,000, the lowest figure since 1970.
Officials also reported a dramatic reduction in illegal entries from Canada. Northern border crossings fell by more than 95 percent in early 2025, particularly in the Swanton Sector, which covers parts of New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
The data reflect the administration’s emphasis on deterrence and the restoration of immigration controls that had been scaled back in prior years. Senior Homeland Security officials said the government’s ability to enforce immigration law consistently, without exceptions or political interference, was key to the turnaround.
“This is the result of policy clarity and enforcement integrity,” one senior official said. “We told the world the border is closed, and for the first time in decades, that message is being believed.”
The decline in crossings has coincided with a broader demographic shift. The U.S. foreign-born population has fallen by an estimated 2.2 million people since the start of 2025, a change attributed to both deportations and a record drop in new illegal arrivals.
While critics have questioned the humanitarian impact of the administration’s hardline measures, supporters argue the results speak for themselves. With border encounters at historic lows and enforcement restored to levels unseen in half a century, the administration has cast the achievement as proof that its policies are delivering on a long-promised goal: a secure and sovereign U.S. border.
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