Amid Trump crackdown, illegal border crossings plunge to levels not seen in decades
By Camilo Montoya-Galvez
Updated on: March 1, 2025 / 10:13 AM EST / CBS News
Washington, D.C. — The number of migrants crossing the U.S. southern border illegally in President Trump's first full month in office plunged to a level not seen in at least 25 years, according to preliminary government data obtained by CBS News.
Last month, Border Patrol recorded about 8,450 apprehensions of migrants who crossed into the country unlawfully between official entry points along the U.S.-Mexico border, the statistics show.
On some days during a record spike in illegal crossings under the Biden administration, Border Patrol recorded more than 8,000 apprehensions in a single day.
February's total, which could be adjusted when the government officially publishes the statistics, would be the lowest monthly apprehensions tally recorded by Border Patrol since at least fiscal year 2000, the last period with public monthly data. The final tallies usually don't deviate much from the preliminary figures.
Over the past 25 years, the only time monthly apprehensions came close to the level recorded in February was in April 2017, when Border Patrol apprehended 11,000 migrants at the southwest border, agency data show.
While monthly data before fiscal year 2000 is not publicly available, the last time Border Patrol averaged roughly 8,000 apprehensions per month over a year was in fiscal year 1968, according to historical statistics.
Illegal crossings along the U.S. southern border have been trending downward over the past year, including under the Biden administration, after spiking to an all-time high in late 2023.
They first dropped in early 2024 after Mexican officials expanded efforts to stop migrants from reaching the U.S. border and then fell further in the summer following former President Biden's move to sharply restrict access to the asylum system.
But the reduction in illegal immigration has been precipitous since Mr. Trump's inauguration.