Trump celebrated historic drop in crime and linked it to southern border closure

Donald Trump celebrated the decline in crime since his return to the White House. The president echoed a statistic released by Jeff Asher, an expert on crime statistics, showing that murders in the United States reached their lowest point since 2006.

The Real-Time Crime Index, which compiles data from 570 law enforcement agencies, evidenced a significant drop in major crimes compared to 2024: motor vehicle theft (23.2%), murder (19.8%), violent robbery (18.3%), burglary (14.8%), property crime (12.3%), violent crime (10.2%), rape (8.9%), robbery (8.7%), and aggravated assault (7.5%).

"Crime in the United States is at its lowest levels on record. Much of that is attributable to the most successful Southern Border operation in history. Also, more people are working in the U.S. today than EVER before. MAGA!!!" the president wrote on his Truth Social account.

The president highlighted his border security agenda as the main cause of the decline in cited crimes. Indeed, the southern border was one of the main campaign points in the 2024 presidential election.

Since January of this year, Trump has elaborated a security strategy in collaboration with the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, and the 'border czar,' Tom Homan. Among other things, the implementation of a mass deportation program, the declaration of an emergency on the southern border, the return of the Remain in Mexico policy, and the signing of the Ley Laken Riley, which requires the detention without bond of undocumented immigrants accused or implicated in serious crimes.

Recently, The Washington Examiner reported that approximately 70% of illegal immigrants arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the second Trump Administration had been convicted of or faced criminal charges.