Unlawful Border Crossings Plummet to Five-Decade Low In FY 2025

Unauthorized crossings at the U.S.–Mexico border have fallen to their lowest level in more than 50 years, according to internal federal data obtained by CBS News, reflecting the sweeping impact of President Trump's immigration crackdown across the southern border and beyond.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recorded roughly 238,000 apprehensions of migrants crossing the southern border illegally during fiscal year 2025, which ended on September 30 — the smallest annual total since 1970, when Border Patrol reported approximately 202,000 apprehensions. The figure represents a sharp drop from the 2.2 million apprehensions recorded in 2022 under the Biden administration.

The data obtained by the outlet also shows that over 60% of this year's total apprehensions occurred in the final three months of the Biden presidency, with crossings declining dramatically after Trump's return to office in January. In recent months, Border Patrol has averaged fewer than 9,000 apprehensions per month — a level not seen in decades.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement that the figures prove the administration has delivered on one of its central campaign promises. "President Trump has overwhelmingly delivered on his promise to secure our Southern Border," she said. "Americans are safer — unvetted criminal illegal aliens and dangerous drugs are no longer pouring over our border unchecked."

Analysts say the decline is the result of a combination of deterrence measures and the near-total closure of the U.S. asylum system. Ariel Ruiz Soto, a researcher at the Migration Policy Institute, told the news site that Trump's policies "have had a significant effect on people being deterred from coming illegally," noting that even before his inauguration, crossings had begun to drop as asylum restrictions took hold.

Under Trump's second term, the administration has militarized the border, deployed thousands of troops, and expanded detention capacity while shutting down humanitarian programs introduced under the Biden administration. Migrants who enter illegally are now either detained or deported swiftly, with few exceptions.

Critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have described the measures as "inhumane and unlawful," arguing that they violate U.S. and international asylum protections. Several provisions of the administration's asylum ban have already been struck down in court.

The impact of the border closures has extended well beyond the United States. As The Guardian reported last month, thousands of migrants are now turning back south through Central America after being shut out of the U.S. In fact, according a report by the governments of Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica, more than 14,000 people —the majority of them from Venezuela— have been forced to change course and turn around.

"People went to chase the American dream, and they are coming back crushed," said Abril Staples, a field coordinator with the Panamanian Red Cross, to The Guardian at the time. Human rights officials warn that migrants making the reverse journey face renewed dangers, including kidnapping, extortion, and sexual violence, as criminal groups exploit their desperation.

Still, in U.S. border towns, the change is unmistakable. "If the goal is to decrease the number of individuals, that appears to have been successful," said John Martin, who runs migrant shelters in El Paso, to CBS News. "We're just simply not seeing the people."