Trump celebrates that illegal border crossings dropped to historic lows

President Donald Trump celebrated Sunday on the social network Truth that illegal border crossings were "the lowest ever recorded," at a time when the media began publishing preliminary data of illegal immigrant arrests.

According to CBS News, Trump's celebration is not exaggerated. In February, Border Patrol recorded only about 8,450 apprehensions of illegal immigrants who entered the country through the U.S.-Mexico border.

If the preliminary figures, which generally do not differ much from official statistics, are confirmed, the number of immigrants illegally crossing the southern border during the first full month of the Trump administration would have dropped to its lowest level in 25 years.

According to official data, the number of crossings in February would only be comparable to the lowest monthly number of apprehensions recorded by Border Patrol since at least fiscal year 2000.

The number of crossings is even more surprising compared to data under the Joe Biden administration, where more than 8,000 apprehensions were recorded in a single day during the most critical periods of the border crisis.

In fact, in the last 25 years, the only time monthly apprehensions were near the level recorded in February under the Trump administration would be in April 2017, when the Border Patrol apprehended 11,000 immigrants at the border with Mexico.

While illegal crossings had begun to decline in 2024 after reaching a record peak in 2023, apprehensions dropped sharply after President Trump was sworn in for his second term, reversing many Biden administration border policies and notoriously tightening the immigration system to deter immigrants from wanting to enter the country.

The February 2025 figure represents a 70% drop in apprehensions from January, when Border Patrol agents recorded 29,000 apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border, down 38% from 47,000 in December.

The sharp drop in crossings also came as the Trump administration finalized agreements with several Central American countries, including Panama, El Salvador and Costa Rica.

It also comes as Mexico begins to work more closely with Washington to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking, allowing U.S. soldiers into Mexican territory to guard the border.