Border Apprehensions Fall to Near 60-Year Low Under Trump

U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions along the Mexican border fell to their lowest annual level since 1968 as President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown accelerated a decline that began under former President Joe Biden, according to Department of Homeland Security data released Friday.

Federal agents recorded 98,708 apprehensions of people crossing between ports of entry during the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, down from more than 2 million annually in 2022 and 2023, reports The Financial Times on Friday. 

"The results could not be clearer: strong enforcement works," Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said.

The total was the lowest since agents recorded 96,641 apprehensions in 1968, reflecting a sharp shift in migration patterns across the Americas.

Crossings began declining late in Biden's presidency after his administration tightened asylum restrictions and Mexico increased enforcement.

The decline accelerated under Trump, who sharply restricted access to asylum at the southern border and expanded immigration arrests and deportations inside the United States.

"The overwhelming reason for the drop in migration is the disappearance of the right to apply for asylum at the border," said Adam Isacson, a senior associate at the Washington Office on Latin America.

The restrictions have led some prospective migrants to remain in their home countries, while others have chosen to settle in Mexico. Although Mexico takes a tough approach toward economic migrants, it maintains a relatively broad asylum policy.

During Biden's presidency, monthly apprehensions at the southern border frequently exceeded 200,000. Experts and migrants said people fleeing political instability, economic hardship, and violence in countries such as Haiti and Venezuela viewed his administration as offering a more welcoming environment.

The surge became a major political liability for Democrats during the 2024 presidential election, when Trump made border enforcement a central campaign issue.

Since returning to office, Trump has paired border restrictions with an aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement campaign that has heightened concerns about arrest and deportation among immigrants.

"Even if you're thinking of becoming a traditional non-asylum-seeking migrant who wants to evade apprehension, you're probably not going to risk all of that just to have to dodge ICE raids once you arrive here," Isacson said.

Figures released in July showed 65,765 people held in ICE detention facilities.

Mexican men traveling alone now make up the largest group apprehended at the border. Isacson said many are likely people who were deported and are attempting to return to families or livelihoods in the United States.

Mexico's government said more than 271,000 Mexicans were deported from the United States between Trump's return to office in January 2025 and mid-August, with most returned by land.

As crossings have declined, immigration has slipped among voters' priorities ahead of November's midterm elections, with polls showing the economy and cost of living among their leading concerns.

Sandy Fitzgerald ✉

Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics. 

© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.