Photo: Alamy
Amid President Donald Trump’s sweeping recent immigration reforms, illegal border crossings have now dropped to their lowest levels in at least 25 years, according to preliminary government data obtained by CBS News.
An estimated 8,450 illegal migrants were caught by the U.S. Border Patrol last month trying to enter the nation during the president’s first full month in office.
This figure is a staunch difference from border crossings under the previous administration when Border Patrol recorded over 8,000 apprehensions in one day, CBS News reported.
Reacting to the news, President Trump wrote in a statement to Truth Social Sunday evening that he was thankful that the illegal border crossings were at the lowest levels ever recorded.
According to data from Border Patrol, February’s totals make it the month with the lowest levels of illegal crossings since 2000. The only other time these figures were remotely close to another period was when roughly 11,000 illegal migrants were apprehended by border patrol in April 2017 during the president’s first term.
The February totals could still be adjusted when the government makes the official tally, but final numbers typically have little deviation from its preliminary figures, Newsmax reported.
Immigration levels dropping also hit the president’s key campaign promise from the election, in which he pledged that he would carry out the “biggest deportation operation” in history. While campaigning, border crossings hit its all-time under Joe Biden in 2023, according to the outlet.
Following President Trump’s inauguration in January, Border Patrol agents recorded 29,000 apprehensions, down nearly 18,000 from December.
Thus far, the president has deployed military troops to the southern border and has ordered the use of military planes to assist in the deportation process. Newsmax also reported that the Trump administration is seeking to bring back Title 42 to deport migrants who may carry deadly, infectious diseases.