The U.S. Border Patrol released a grand total of zero illegal migrants into the country during the month of May, demonstrating the rapid decline in illegal migration since President Donald Trump returned to office.
In what the administration is describing as the “fastest improvement in American border security of all time,” not a single illegal migrant was released into the U.S. in May, according to newly-released data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The figure marks a major improvement from the 62,000 illegal migrants released into the country in May 2024, as then-president Joe Biden was continuing to deal with an unprecedented border crisis.
“Thanks to the tireless efforts and diligent work of the men and women of CBP and the leadership of [Trump] and [Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem], USBP released 0 (not a single one) illegal aliens into our country in May, down from more than 62,000 in May of last year,” CBP posted Tuesday on social media.
“This administration has seen the fastest improvement in American border security of all time,” CBP continued.
Border Patrol agents encountered a total of 8,725 illegal migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border between ports of entry in May, according to CBP. This figure marked a 93% drop from the 117,905 illegal migrant encounters in May 2024. The enormous drop in encounters resulted in the elimination of “catch and release,” a process where overburdened detention facilities are forced to release illegal migrants to make space for new arrivals.
As for nationwide encounters, including those at ports of entry, CBP agents averaged roughly 952 per day for the month, marking the second lowest daily average of CBP encounters in history, according to the agency. Under Biden, the average number of monthly encounters reached nearly 160,000 and the daily average peaked at 15,000.
CBP touted the latest numbers as indication that the U.S. border is reaching “unprecedented levels” of operational success.
“Under the leadership of this administration, CBP has received historic support resulting in another 93% decrease in illegal crossings along the southwest border this month when compared with last year,” Pete Flores, Acting Commissioner of CBP, said in a prepared statement. “Border numbers continue to trend at historic lows, reinforcing the sustained success of our enforcement efforts in securing the homeland and protecting American communities.”
Since returning to the White House, Trump immediately got to work on a number of executive actions and administrative reforms aimed at securing the southern border, such as declaring a national emergency, prioritizing wall construction, coercing the Mexican government to deploy their own law enforcement to the area and numerous other directives.
The immense drop in illegal immigration marks a far cry from the Biden era, which experienced the worst border crisis in U.S. history, following a number of actions the former president took to unwind the border security apparatus built under Trump’s first term.
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