Trump administration posts historic low in southwest border crossings after 96% plunge from Biden peak

DHS reported fewer than 99,000 southwest border apprehensions in fiscal 2026 under Trump, a 96 percent plunge from Biden's peak and the lowest total in agency history.

Border Patrol recorded 98,708 apprehensions of migrants who crossed the southwest border between ports of entry in Fiscal Year 2026, the Department of Homeland Security announced Friday. Officials called the total the lowest level in agency history.

The figure marks a fall of just over 96 percent from the December 2023 peak of 249,740 under the prior administration. September alone brought the yearly count to just under 99,000, with about 8,900 apprehensions as the fiscal year closed on September 30.

Breitbart Texas reported the DHS figures alongside official statements tying the drop to focused enforcement after President Donald Trump took office for a second term.

Mullin says the data proves a campaign promise

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin framed the results as delivery on a core pledge.

Mullin stated:

"President Trump promised the American people a secure border, and the data proves he delivered. Over the past year, CBP recorded its lowest numbers in American history. A stark contrast to Biden, where CBP recorded its highest illegal immigration numbers ever,"

He added that strong enforcement works and credited Trump’s leadership along with CBP and DHS personnel for restoring control of the border.

Mullin said:

"The results could not be clearer: strong enforcement works. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and the hard work of CBP and DHS law enforcement personnel, we have restored control of the border and made America safer than ever."

The same announcement put the year’s total 60 percent lower than the Biden administration’s single highest month alone. Officials also cited a 95 percent decline compared with more than 1.8 million migrants per year during the prior period.

That enforcement record lands alongside other tangible administration moves, including when the Trump administration delivered Medicare premium relief to millions of seniors.

First full year with zero Border Patrol releases

DHS material presented with the announcement stated that Border Patrol completed its first-ever fiscal year with no releases. Officials said that during the past 17 months, Border Patrol released zero migrants into the U.S. interior.

The quoted DHS report put it this way:

"The Border Patrol, which completed its first-ever fiscal year with no releases, recorded less than 99,000 southwest border apprehensions in FY 2026, a 95% decline compared with more than 1.8 million per year under President Biden. Total FY 2026 apprehensions (98,708) were 60% lower than the Biden Administration’s single highest month alone (249,740)."

Preliminary nationwide encounter data told a parallel story. Total nationwide encounters in FY 2026 stood at 379,243, described as the lowest in agency history. That compared with 2.7 million per year under Biden, seven times higher, and sat 88 percent lower than FY 2023, which officials called the highest fiscal year ever.

The DHS block continued:

"Additionally, preliminary data shows total nationwide encounters in FY 2026 were the lowest in agency history at 379,243, compared with 2.7 million per year under Biden (seven times higher). FY 2026 encounters were 88% lower than FY 2023 under Biden, which was the highest fiscal year ever."

CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott tied the outcome to frontline work and partnerships rather than chance.

Scott said:

"FY 2026 demonstrated what focused enforcement, strong partnerships, and the commitment of our frontline personnel can achieve,"

He also said DHS and CBP are securing the border, stopping dangerous drugs and criminals, protecting communities, and ensuring personnel have the resources for the mission.

Day-one orders set the enforcement line

On day one of his second term, Trump signed a series of ten executive orders aimed at securing the U.S.-Mexico border and taking on the Mexican cartels. The orders established a national state of emergency and provided additional resources for a whole-of-government approach to border security, illegal immigration, and drug trafficking enforcement.

Officials and the reporting linked the sharp drop in illegal crossings and the end of interior releases to that shift away from prior release practices. The numbers now sit far below both the multi-year averages and the single-month spike that defined the earlier crisis peak.

Personnel choices have moved in the same direction of control and message discipline, as when President Trump picked Katie Zacharia for White House press secretary.

Scott’s second statement kept the focus on operational results: drugs, criminals, and community protection remain the stated mission while the apprehension totals stay at historic lows.

Political pressure on Democrats has grown in other arenas too, including when Trump urged Sen. John Fetterman to join the GOP as Democratic support eroded.

From peak chaos to under 99,000

December 2023’s 249,740 apprehensions set the high-water mark cited in the comparison. By the close of FY 2026, monthly traffic had fallen to roughly 8,900. The full-year southwest border total of 98,708 landed below 99,000 and well under half of that single prior peak month.

Nationwide encounters followed the same trajectory, dropping to 379,243 on preliminary figures against multi-million annual totals in the prior administration. Officials described both series as the lowest in agency history.

The administration has also pressed industrial capacity at home, including when Trump unveiled Arsenal-2 in Baltimore as a major new shipyard project.

Media fights continue in parallel lanes, with the White House preparing an appeal after a ruling on outlet credentials.

DHS presented the FY 2026 record as proof that deterrence and sustained enforcement change outcomes at the border. The raw counts, 98,708 southwest border apprehensions, zero releases for a full fiscal year, and nationwide encounters at 379,243, form the core of that claim.

Strong borders protect lawful residents and taxpayers. Weak ones invite the opposite. The new numbers show which approach delivered.