For years, critics argued that “catch and release” policies encouraged illegal immigration by allowing migrants to enter the country while awaiting court proceedings. The Trump administration has made ending that practice one of its top priorities, and federal officials say the results are now impossible to ignore.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin praised the achievement and credited President Donald Trump for restoring control of the nation’s borders.
“Thirteen straight months of ZERO releases at the border. Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, we are delivering the most secure border in American history. The days of catch and release are over,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement. “We are enforcing the nation’s laws and quickly sending illegal aliens back to their home countries, ensuring the safety and sovereignty of our nation.”
Border security officials say the numbers tell a remarkable story.
During May 2026, Border Patrol agents recorded just 9,998 apprehensions along the southwest border. That figure represents a stunning decline compared to the record-setting migration surges seen during the Biden years.
Federal data shows the May total was 94 percent lower than the average monthly apprehension numbers recorded under the previous administration. It was also 96 percent below the highest monthly totals seen during that period.
To put the change into perspective, officials noted that the total number of illegal aliens apprehended during the entire month of May 2026 was lower than the number encountered during only three days in May 2024.
The average number of daily apprehensions fell to just 323 individuals per day. Officials pointed out that this figure is not only dramatically lower than recent years but is even below the hourly apprehension rates experienced during the height of the border crisis.
CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said the administration’s enforcement strategy is producing results across multiple areas of responsibility.
“This milestone, coupled with historically low illegal crossings, demonstrates our unwavering commitment to securing our nation. Our robust enforcement policies are working, and we are delivering unprecedented results in border security, drug interdiction, and trade enforcement,” CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a statement. “These sustained successes are a testament to our strategic approach and the vital support we receive, thanks to the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Mullin.”
The numbers become even more striking when viewed over a longer timeline.
Through the first eight months of Fiscal Year 2026, southwest border apprehensions were reportedly 26 percent lower than what had been considered a normal monthly average between fiscal years 1992 and 2024.
Officials say the sustained decline has pushed illegal crossing activity to levels not seen in more than three decades.
The contrast with recent years is impossible to miss. During the height of the border crisis, monthly encounters frequently exceeded 200,000 migrants. Tens of thousands were released into the country each month while awaiting immigration hearings, creating enormous backlogs and overwhelming federal resources.
Today, monthly apprehensions have fallen into the low-thousands range, a dramatic shift that administration officials argue proves enforcement policies matter.
The administration is also pointing to encouraging developments in the fight against drug trafficking.
CBP reported that combined nationwide seizures of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana increased by 32 percent compared to May 2024 levels. Fentanyl seizures alone surged to 795 pounds during May, representing a 72 percent increase from the previous month.
Meanwhile, marijuana seizures averaged more than 37,000 pounds per month over the last four months.
Overall drug interdictions for Fiscal Year 2026 are running 56 percent ahead of the pace recorded during the same period in Fiscal Year 2024.
For supporters of the administration’s border agenda, the latest numbers offer evidence that strict enforcement measures are achieving exactly what they were designed to accomplish: fewer illegal crossings, no catch-and-release, stronger border control, and increased efforts to stop dangerous narcotics from reaching American communities.
After years of record-breaking migration numbers and growing public concern over border security, the latest figures suggest the landscape along America’s southern border has changed dramatically under President Trump’s watch.
