Illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border have fallen to their lowest annual level since 1970, according to internal Department of Homeland Security data obtained by CBS News.
U.S. Border Patrol agents recorded nearly 238,000 apprehensions of migrants crossing the southern border illegally during fiscal year 2025, which ended September 30. The number marks the lowest annual total since fiscal 1970, when Border Patrol reported roughly 202,000 apprehensions, historical records show.
The data reflects a steep decline from the 2.2 million apprehensions reported in fiscal 2022, nearly ten times higher than this year’s total. The drop represents what federal officials described as a “seismic change” following years of record migration.
More than 60% of the apprehensions in fiscal 2025 occurred during the final three months of the Biden administration, before President Donald J. Trump took office in January. Since then, monthly apprehensions have remained below 9,000, compared to daily totals of that size during some peak periods under President Joe Biden.
A White House statement said the reduction represents “another historic victory for American sovereignty and safety under President Trump’s leadership,” crediting the president’s “relentless commitment to securing our homeland.”
Analysts say the decline stems from the Trump administration’s strict enforcement measures and the continuation of Biden-era asylum limits enacted in 2024. Ariel Ruiz Soto, a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, told CBS that the Trump administration’s policies had “a significant effect on people being deterred from coming illegally to the United States,” calling it “a new normal.”
Soon after taking office, the Trump administration sealed large sections of the southern border, dispatched thousands of soldiers, and curtailed asylum access using emergency powers. Federal immigration officials have since ended nearly all releases of migrants entering the U.S. illegally, deporting or detaining them instead.
The administration has also launched high-profile operations to detain those living in the country illegally, prompting protests in major cities and legal challenges from civil rights groups. The ACLU and others have described the policies as “draconian” and unconstitutional, while the White House has defended them as essential to restoring order.
On the ground, nonprofit groups in border cities report a stark change. John Martin, who oversees shelters in El Paso, told CBS his organization is now housing “little to no” migrants compared to hundreds during previous surges.
“If the goal is to decrease the number of individuals, I would say that appears to have been successful,” Martin said.
Border Patrol apprehensions are widely viewed as a key indicator of migration trends and the effectiveness of federal policy.