According to CBP’s announcement on July 16, Border Patrol has now gone 14 consecutive months without releasing a single illegal immigrant into the United States after apprehension at the southern border. Administration officials hailed the milestone as evidence that stricter enforcement measures are producing measurable results.
The agency reported that Border Patrol encountered 9,848 individuals attempting to cross the southwest border illegally during the month of June. That total represents a staggering 94 percent decline compared to the monthly average recorded during the Biden administration.
The comparison is particularly striking. Officials noted that in June 2024, Border Patrol encountered more illegal immigrants in just four days than it did throughout the entire month of June this year.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin delivered a direct message while discussing the latest numbers.
“Our border is CLOSED to lawbreakers,” Mullin said.
Federal officials also announced that Border Patrol now employs 21,471 agents along the southern border—the largest workforce in the agency’s 102-year history. At the same time, fentanyl seizures increased by 42 percent between May and June, another statistic the administration credits to stronger border enforcement and expanded operational capacity.
Supporters of the administration argue that these results were achieved through deliberate policy changes rather than chance.
A Stark Contrast From Biden’s Record-Setting Border Crisis
The latest figures stand in sharp contrast to the situation inherited by the Trump administration.
In December 2023, the United States experienced the highest number of southwest border encounters ever recorded in a single month. Nearly 302,000 illegal immigrants were encountered during that period, setting a record that became a defining symbol of the border crisis.
According to government data from that time, more than three out of every four individuals apprehended during December 2023 were released into the United States under the Biden administration’s immigration policies.
Critics argued that those policies created powerful incentives for illegal immigration while providing criminal organizations with a profitable business model centered on human smuggling.
Andrew Arthur of the Center for Immigration Studies testified that the Biden administration deliberately chose not to enforce immigration laws enacted by Congress, arguing that cartels and human smugglers became the primary beneficiaries of those decisions.
Throughout much of Biden’s presidency, the administration repeatedly insisted the border remained secure despite historically high encounter numbers.
Fiscal Year 2023 alone saw more than 3.2 million nationwide encounters, placing unprecedented pressure on federal immigration agencies and border communities.
Border Trends Continue Moving in One Direction
The latest statistics suggest the administration’s enforcement strategy has continued gaining momentum throughout the past year.
Officials note that Fiscal Year 2026 is currently on pace to produce the fewest border apprehensions since 1967, representing a dramatic departure from the record-setting numbers seen only a few years ago.
Administration officials also point to the consistency of the trend.
What began as six consecutive months without releasing illegal immigrants eventually grew to eight months, then eleven, followed by thirteen. Now, Border Patrol has reached fourteen straight months without releasing a single illegal immigrant into the country after apprehension.
Supporters say the numbers demonstrate sustained enforcement rather than a temporary decline.
Debate Over Border Funding Continues
Despite the dramatic reduction in illegal crossings, disagreements over border funding remain deeply partisan.
Illinois Democratic Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth have criticized legislation that provides funding for the administration’s border security initiatives.
Duckworth’s office described the legislation as a “disastrous bill.”
Durbin has also opposed the funding package, arguing against increased spending tied to the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
Republicans counter that stronger funding has directly contributed to the improved results now being reported by CBP.
They argue that every illegal immigrant released under previous catch-and-release policies eventually entered American communities, schools, hospitals, and labor markets, creating challenges that the current administration inherited.
Supporters further contend that enhanced staffing, expanded enforcement authority, and stricter application of existing immigration laws have fundamentally changed conditions along the southern border.
Many conservatives argue that cartels earned billions of dollars through large-scale human smuggling operations during the Biden years because migrants expected to be released after crossing illegally.
The Trump administration maintains that ending catch-and-release removed that incentive by restoring consequences for unlawful entry.
While Democrats continue criticizing the administration’s border funding priorities, supporters say the latest CBP statistics speak for themselves. With illegal crossings down dramatically, Border Patrol staffing at historic highs, and officials declaring the southern border effectively closed to unlawful entrants, the administration argues that enforcing existing immigration laws—not creating new ones—has produced one of the most dramatic reversals in modern border security.
How can anyone be so dumb, evil, or reckless to think, opening any border with millions of people, without being vetted is a good idea? Some do not share American values. They just want government subsidies, using any excuse to get what they have not worked for. Some people have escaped dangerous situations. Many have no where to go. Others want to cause trouble. Still others want to instill their beliefs, including violence and murder. Women and children being trafficked. The empathetic say we should welcome everybody. Unfortunately, our system is not set-up for these numbers. Even overtaking schools, daycare centers, etc. Democrats, Liberals, and some Republicans never investigate the consequences. Or do not care. Which makes their reasoning invalid. Pushing Socialism, Marxism, Communism, and radical Islam, when all of these destroy societies and freedoms including free speech. The goal is clear. These radical people hate Americans. Within the United States, there are groups that hide under a delusion the U.S. is a racist Nation. Rich people, mostly white men, are the problem. So let’s punish them for making money. In the mean time, those same people steal from Americans. Then pretend they have no idea. Bureaucrats and politicians hate their fraud being exposed. Same with voter corruption. Mainstream Media and The View push the rhetoric. Gullible people, believe the nonsense. They are to busy, uninterested, or do not care. Just complain, without actually researching the truth. Any challenge to their point of view, is met with hate, lies, and even violence. In the meantime, those that are committing the crimes and hate get little or no jail. The First News, NewsMax, The Epoch Times, and Imprimis and The Verdict Newsletters are fact based, with evidence. People should do that research. Stop believing the nonsense news, and the Democrat, Liberal, and some Republicans lies. Pray in Jesus Name. Repent. Get Baptized. Then God will give understanding. Only Jesus, sent by God, is the Savior. No one else died for all.