Trump Administration Delivers Historic Border Security Win — Lowest Apprehensions Since 1970

The Trump administration has closed fiscal year 2025 with a historic milestone on border security — the lowest U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions in more than five decades, according to preliminary enforcement data released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Border agents recorded 237,565 apprehensions in fiscal year 2025 — slightly above the 201,780 apprehensions in 1970 but dramatically below recent levels. The numbers represent an 87% drop compared to the average of the past four fiscal years (1.86 million apprehensions) and showcase what can happen when the federal government finally enforces immigration laws.

This achievement came even though 72% of this year’s total apprehensions happened during the final 111 days of the Biden administration — before President Trump returned to office and immediately began reversing his predecessor’s “open-border” policies.

“Fiscal year 2025 shows what happens when we enforce the law without compromise,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. “For too long, agents and officers were handcuffed by failed policies. Today they are empowered to do their jobs — and the result is the most secure border in modern history.”

Reversing Biden’s Border Chaos

When President Trump took office in January 2025, he inherited what many described as a border crisis fueled by Biden’s mass-release policies. In just the first 111 days of the fiscal year, under Biden’s watch, 172,026 apprehensions occurred — nearly three-quarters of the year’s total.

But once Trump’s immigration directives took effect, the situation changed dramatically. Over the next 254 days, apprehensions plummeted to 65,539 — just 27% of the fiscal year’s total.

September 2025 alone saw only about 279 apprehensions per day along the Southwest border — a staggering 95% decline compared to the Biden-era daily average of 5,110. It also marked the fifth consecutive month of zero illegal immigrant releases by Border Patrol — a stark contrast to 9,144 releases in September 2024.

Across all entry points, CBP recorded roughly 26,000 total encounters in September, down 89% from Biden’s monthly averages.

Strong Action From Day One

President Trump wasted no time taking decisive action to reestablish border control:

• Deployed additional personnel to the southern border.
• Ended “catch-and-release”, ensuring illegal migrants are no longer released while awaiting hearings.
• Shut down Biden’s CBP One app parole loophole, later repurposing the app to help migrants self-deport.
• Paused parole programs and authorized ICE to cancel parole statuses.
• Ordered strict enforcement of existing immigration laws, restoring morale and authority to frontline border agents.

These policies stand in sharp contrast to Biden’s approach, which relied on controversial “parole” programs and insisted on new legislation instead of acting on existing laws.