Overview
- Preliminary DHS/CBP figures show 237,565 southwest Border Patrol apprehensions in FY2025, the lowest annual total since 1970.
- September marked a fifth straight month in which Border Patrol reported zero releases along the southwest border, according to DHS.
- More than 60% of FY2025 apprehensions occurred during the final months of the Biden administration, with monthly totals falling to a record low of about 4,600 in July before rising to roughly 8,400 in September.
- DHS and ICE report more than 493,000 deportations since January, about 1.6 million voluntary departures, over 457,000 arrests, and say ICE is on track for roughly 600,000 deportations in 2025.
- Analysts note the decline began in mid‑2024 and caution that the new totals cover southwest Border Patrol activity only and exclude northern border, ports of entry, and ‘gotaways,’ while legal and local challenges to enforcement continue.