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Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday that arrests of illegal immigrants at the southern border fell to the lowest in 15 years last weekend.
Noem shared the update in a post to X on Saturday, noting that “just 200 aliens” were encountered.
“On Saturday, CBP encountered just 200 aliens at the US Southern Border. That’s the lowest single apprehension day in over 15 years. Thank you to President @realDonaldTrump and our brave men & women of @CBP,” she wrote.
The news follows comments last week from White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller who celebrated a 95 percent reduction in illegal immigrants at the southern border on Thursday.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon deployed 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern border, increasing the total to 3,600. Their responsibilities included placing physical barriers, providing transportation and intelligence support, and assisting the U.S. Border Patrol.
In Arizona, Border Patrol agents were reported to be installing concertina wire to strengthen sections of the southern border wall near ports of entry. An additional 14 miles of concertina wire had been added atop both primary and secondary fencing along the Arizona-Mexico border.
Last week, the Pentagon announced that the U.S. and Mexico had agreed to conduct coordinated military patrols on their respective sides of the border, enhance information sharing, and improve communication methods to strengthen border security.
As a result, migrant shelters in Texas, which once housed nearly 1,000 people per day at the peak of the border crisis, were nearly empty earlier this month, with some expected to close.
Miller’s comments were shared with reporters during a White House briefing concerning the first 11 days after Trump was inaugurated last month.
“President Trump, within days of taking office, cut border crossings 95 percent and those few who have dared to cross are being either prosecuted or deported,” Miller said.
“The criminals are going home. The border is sealed shut. America is safe, sovereign, proud, and free. We are a nation that everyone in the world understands — all across this planet — [where] you do not come here illegally, you will not get in, you will go to jail, you will go home, you will not succeed. This is the biggest and most successful change in any area of law enforcement that this nation has ever seen, and he did it in under one month,” he added.