Overview
- CBP reported 30,651 encounters in October, the lowest October level on record and 29% below the previous October low set in 2012.
- DHS said fiscal year 2025 recorded 237,565 encounters, described as the lowest total in 55 years and 87% below the average of the prior four fiscal years.
- Officials said October marked a sixth straight month with no migrant releases into the United States, a metric the administration touts as proof of deterrence.
- From January through October under President Trump, authorities counted 106,134 arrests at the southern border, averaging 258 per day, which DHS notes is roughly 95% below the Biden-era average.
- The administration links the decline to measures such as tightened asylum access, a border “closure” order, military deployments, removals and “voluntary return” messaging, while protests and public criticism from Mexico’s government highlight rights and diplomatic strains.