Illegal border crosser apprehensions drop 96% at southwest border in a year

By Bethany Blankley
The Center Square

In one year, illegal border crossings dropped by 96% at the southwest border, an historic shift from record highs during the Biden administration.

In January, 34,626 illegal border crosser apprehensions were reported nationwide, up from numbers hovering around 30,000 in October, November and December.

The January total is a significant drop from 242,071 in January 2024, 209,151 in January 2023 and 81,479 in January 2025, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

At the southwest border, apprehensions totaled 9,726 in January, down from 61,445 in January 2025, an 84% decrease over the year. The numbers also represent a dramatic drop from 176,195 in January 2024 and 157,358 in January 2023, according to the data.

At the northern border, 4,261 illegal border crosser apprehensions were recorded in January despite harsh winter conditions. In November, 3,583 were apprehended at the northern border, according to the data.

January’s northern border total represents a significant downward trajectory from 4,976 in January 2025, 13,390 in January 2023, and a high of 15,916 in January 2024. The northern border saw unprecedented numbers of illegal border crossers and crime under the Biden administration, The Center Square reported. For years, northern U.S. states and Indian reservations have been impacted by transnational crime, human and drug trafficking orchestrated by Mexican cartels and Chinese Triad operating in Canada, The Center Square reported.

Nationwide, encounters averaged 1,117 a day in January, 58% lower than the 2,628 daily average from January 2025, CBP said in a statement.

Border Patrol agents make apprehensions between ports of entry. CBP Office of Field Operations officers make apprehensions at ports of entry. According to the data, CBP OFO officers apprehended 26,749 illegal border crossers and Border Patrol agents apprehended 7,877 in January, bringing the total to 34,626 for the month, according to the data.

The data contradicts claims repeatedly made by Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that no one is illegally entering the country. The claims date to last August when she stated at a cabinet meeting, “We’ve gone three months in a row now with zero illegal aliens coming into this country.”

By last July, the Trump administration had released 13,000 inadmissible foreign nationals into the country, according to CBP data, The Center Square reported. Texas Department of Public Safety officers have also been apprehending roughly 100 illegal border crossers a week, all gotaways, The Center Square reported.

Similar to the Biden administration, the Trump administration is not publicly reporting gotaway data.

Gotaways are the official CBP term for foreign nationals who illegally enter the country between ports of entry to evade capture and don’t return to Mexico or Canada. At least more than two million known and reported gotaways illegally entered the country during the Biden administration, The Center Square exclusively reported. The actual number is unknown and expected to be much higher because not all gotaways are reported.

The massive drop in illegal entries represent “historic results,” CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said. “Border Patrol apprehensions are down 96% from the previous administration’s monthly average,” he said, referring to the southwest border. “This historic reduction reflects the dedication of our agents and officers to securing our borders, protecting our communities, and upholding the rule of law.”

He also points out that the number of apprehensions made in January were 91% below the peak of 370,883 apprehended during the Biden administration.

Border Patrol agents apprehensions at the southwest border were also 96% lower than the monthly average of the Bidem administration and less than the total apprehended in six days in January 2025, he added.

Over the year, Border Patrol agents apprehended 196 illegal border crossers a day along the southwest border, 96% lower than the daily average apprehended during the Biden administration. In the last nine months, they also released zero illegal border crossers into the U.S. through parole programs, he added.