Migrant Encounters at Southern Border Hit Lowest-Ever Mark, Down 94 Percent from Last February

A social media post by the Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, Michael W. Banks, shows February apprehensions to be a record low for the Agency. Banks’s post reveals the startling impact of the Trump presidency on illegal migration to the United States in the 42 days since assuming office.

“February proved our combined efforts in securing the border WORK,” Chief Banks posted on X. “USBP apprehended 8,326 illegal aliens at the U.S.-Mexico border, making it the lowest month in recorded history.”

The just over 8,300 migrants arrested by Border Patrol agents who illegally crossed the Mexican border into the United States fell by 94 percent to the 140,641 encountered just one year ago. Perhaps more shocking, the numbers dropped by 82 percent from December, President Joe Biden’s last full month in office. As the transition of power took place in January, the encounter number began to plummet, falling to just over 29,000

Large-scale immigration raids across the United States and consistent messaging from the entire Trump administration resulted in the reduction of illegal border crossings. {snip}

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Information provided by the Border Patrol, revealing a new trend of reverse migration, is contributing to the lower number of crossings. Disappointed migrants are turning away from the United States mid-journey to return home.

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