Illegal border crossings down 94%, Border Patrol chief says

Candy Woodall, Baltimore Sun on Feb 21, 2025

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement continues to ramp up action, and much of the impact of the new Trump administration can be seen at the southern border.

ICE agents are working to apprehend people who are in the country illegally — enforcement efforts that are in line with President Donald Trump’s campaign promises to initiate mass deportations.

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks, in a Thursday interview with CBS News, detailed how Trump’s crackdown is already having a major impact on illegal immigration. Illegal border crossings are down 94% compared with the same period last year, he said.

Banks said Trump’s executive orders have led to the drop, with agents apprehending 285 migrants per day in the last week compared with 4,800 a day at the same time in 2024. He also credited the Texas National Guard soldiers working as immigration officers.

Banks told FOX News earlier this month that prosecutions have increased by more than 50%.

The actions have sent a message to those who try to enter the country illegally that they will be deported, Banks said.

“The greater the punishment, the larger the deterrent,” he said in the CBS interview.

Even though Trump had about two weeks in office in January, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows a drop in border encounters that month, from more than 96,000 in December to more than 61,000 in January. In January 2024, there were more than 176,000 encounters at the border. That’s about a 65% decline from January to January.

The full data for February is not available yet. In February 2024, there were nearly 190,000 border encounters.

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