ANALYSIS

Encounters at the southern border fall to an all-time low in February, Trump's first full month in the White House

The number of people detained for trying to illegally enter the country through Mexico plunges to 11,709, down from 189,913 in the same month in 2024 and 101,099 in January. Trump claims that "all of them were immediately removed" or "prosecuted for crimes against the U.S.”

Border Patrol detains several illegal immigrants.AFP.

Published by

Israel Duro

1 days ago

2 minutes read

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Customs and Border Protection announced that in February there were 11,709 encounters (8,347 by Border Patrol), the lowest number of illegal immigrant entries at the southern border since data has been recorded. Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem bragged about this accomplishment on social media.

The figure amounts to a reduction of 178,204 apprehensions versus the 189.913 that occurred in the last year of the Biden-Harris administration and 89,390 compared to the 101,099 recorded during Joe Biden's first full month in the White House.

This is an 80.9% decline compared to January 2025. The 61,447 undocumented immigrants entered illegally, according to both Office of Field Operations (OFO) and Border Patrol.

Border Patrol recorded 94% fewer encounters than in 2024

Trump and Noem focused especially on the Border Patrol's numbers exclusively, which allowed them to boast a 94% drop in the year-on-year percentage of apprehensions. In February, the force, now under the command of Michael W. Banks, apprehended 8,347 undocumented persons, compared to 140,641 in February 2024.

Last Saturday, the president posted on Truth Social a slightly lower number of encounters (8.326) than the official figure. Trump stressed that all detainees were "immediately removed" from the country or "prosecuted for crimes against the United States of America," confirming the end of the "detain and release" policy that characterized Biden's time in office.

The other border crossings also recorded a significant drop in apprehensions

The total number of encounters during February at all national borders plummeted to 28,654, a figure that contrasts sharply with the 81,528 in January 2025 and is light years away from the 256,071 recorded last February by the previous administration.

At the northern border, there were 900 fewer people than in January (4,098 versus 4,975 the previous month). The big drop in the number of entries from Canada occurred in January, from 11,632 in December 2024 to less than 5,000.

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