Summary and Key Points: President Trump’s immigration policies have dramatically reduced illegal border crossings, marking a stark contrast to the Biden administration.
-Apprehensions at the Southern border fell by 94% from January 2024 to February 2025, with similar declines at ports of entry.
-Trump’s aggressive border security measures include deploying active-duty troops, ending asylum claims, rapidly deporting criminal migrants, and promoting a mobile app to encourage self-deportation.
-Officials attribute the sharp decline in illegal crossings to the deterrent “Trump Effect.”
-Despite this success, it remains uncertain whether Trump will fully resume border wall construction halted under Biden, even as his administration touts significant progress in border security.
In Huge Turnaround from Biden Illegal Immigration Policies, Trump Secures Border
The Donald Trump administration has illegal immigration statistics it is proud of.
The Northern and Southern Border has been closed with apprehensions and “got aways” severely reduced as of March 12, when the latest numbers were available from the government.
This is a Trump-fulfilled campaign promise that his administration has extolled repeatedly as an example of how his presidency is significantly different from that of his predecessor, Joe Biden.
The Southern Border Apprehension Statistics Are Impressive
U.S. Border Patrol caught 8,347 illegal immigrants in February who were trying to cross the southwest border in the land between legal ports of entry.
This is 71 percent less than January 2025, when U.S. Border Patrol apprehended 29,101 undocumented migrants. Compared to a year earlier in January 2024, the Border Patrol caught 94 percent less when the agency took 140,641 migrants into custody.
Migrant Ports of Entry Detainment Is Down as Well
At port of entries the numbers were also striking and down significantly.
The Office of Field Operations at official entry terminals encountered 3,362 inadmissible migrants at ports of entry along the southwest border in February 2025.
That makes a 90 percent decrease from January 2025 when OFO encountered 32,346 inadmissible migrants, and a 93 percent decrease from February 2024 when OFO came across 49,272 undocumented people.
“The men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection continue to aggressively implement the President’s Executive Orders to secure our borders, and as a result of this leadership, we have achieved historic lows in border apprehensions,” said Pete Flores, the Acting Commissioner.
“At the direction of the administration, we remain unwavering in our mission to prioritize American safety, secure the border, and enforce consequences for those who violate United States law,” according to a Customs and Border Patrol news release.
Self-Deportation With New Mobile App
The Customs and Border Patrol also has a new mobile app in which “unlawfully present aliens or those with revoked parole [can] voluntarily notify the U.S. government of their intent to depart.”
The agency and Department of Homeland Security are encouraging illegal immigrants to self-deport and try to come back to the country through the legal immigration process.
Officials shut down a previous Biden-era app that allowed undocumented migrants to begin the facilitation of coming into the country through applications for screening appointments. This was called the CBP One mobile application.
“Trump Effect’ Has Reduced Illegal Border Crossing
The Department of Homeland Security believes that undocumented migrants are scared to cross the border for fear of apprehension and removal from the country. This has been deemed the “Trump effect” by members of the administration.
Why Have the Numbers Improved?
Trump has sent thousands of active duty soldiers to the Southern border, ended the practice of granting political asylum to migrants, and quickly began deporting criminal illegal immigrants.
This allowed the administration to save money by closing temporary holding facilities for migrants who are now not allowed in the country.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehended 32,000 criminal illegal immigrants in the first 50 days of the Trump administration.
The White House announced in February that “during the previous administration, the average number of illegal aliens encountered at the southern border in January was 141,710 — the result of dangerous policies that ferried illegal aliens directly into our communities, where they were allowed to stay indefinitely, according to a news release.
On April 11, a U.S. District Court Judge ruled that illegal immigrants must register with the federal government, in a win for Trump and the Department of Homeland Security.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said, “President Trump and I have a clear message for those in our country illegally: leave now. If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream,” she stated in a DHS document.
The Trump administration declared mission accomplished so far at the border and migrants have received the word that the president will not stand for illegal immigrants trying to cross the border.
It has been a stunning turnaround from the Biden administration when there were an estimated 8 million illegal migrant encounters and 1.7 million got aways, according to the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security.
It is unclear if the Trump administration will continue fullout building the Southern border wall halted under Biden. Noem is trying to spur construction in San Diego, California, for two miles of the wall by waiving environmental permits.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
