The Trump administration has now marked 13 consecutive months with zero releases of illegal immigrants after apprehension at the southwest border, and officials point to sharply lower crossings and rising drug interdictions as proof their tougher enforcement is working.
The White House highlighted the milestone and directed attention to newly released Department of Homeland Security figures showing dramatic declines in border encounters. DHS reported 9,998 Border Patrol apprehensions along the southwest border in May, a number officials note is far below prior monthly averages and crisis peaks.
Karoline Leavitt amplified the milestone earlier this week, pointing readers to the newly released Department of Homeland Security (DHS) figures.
https://x.com/PressSec/status/2069099156329599378
The May total is presented as 94 percent lower than the monthly average under the previous administration and 96 percent below the peak of the border crisis, according to DHS statistics. That drop is part of a pattern: Border Patrol recorded 8,943 apprehensions for all of April, a figure that used to be processed in a matter of hours or days during the prior surge.
Border Patrol has remained below 10,000 apprehensions for two straight months, and DHS officials say total southwest border apprehensions through May now fall below what used to be a typical single-month average from fiscal years 1992 through 2024. Those comparisons are being used to argue the policy shift has produced sustained results rather than a temporary lull.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced the latest milestone publicly and framed it as a tangible outcome of the administration’s approach. He directly tied the numbers to policy choices and enforcement actions taken since the new administration took office.
“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,” Mullin said. “The days of catch and release are over. 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.”
Administration officials point to enforcement changes that make releases rare and removals routine, arguing this restores the border’s role as a controlled entry point. Those officials contrast the current posture with the previous administration’s practice of processing large numbers of migrants and letting many remain pending proceedings.
The security story also extends into narcotics interdiction, where DHS reports notable increases in seizures. Nationwide confiscations of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana rose 32 percent compared with May of the prior year, and fentanyl seizures alone jumped 72 percent from April to May, with 795 pounds intercepted in one month.
Customs and Border Protection is reporting an average of more than 37,000 pounds of marijuana seized per month over the last four months, a 61 percent increase over fiscal year 2024 averages, and total drug seizures so far this fiscal year are running 56 percent ahead of the same period last year. The agency frames these figures as evidence that tougher border enforcement disrupts smuggling operations.
CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott echoed the enforcement narrative, saying the combination of lower crossings and higher interdiction totals reflects effective, coordinated policy execution. His remarks emphasize cross-cutting gains in border security, drug interdiction, and trade enforcement as linked outcomes of the administration’s strategy.
“This milestone, coupled with historically low illegal crossings, demonstrates our unwavering commitment to securing our nation,” Scott said. “Our robust enforcement policies are working, and we are delivering unprecedented results in border security, drug interdiction, and trade enforcement.”
Border security was a central issue in the 2024 campaign, with the argument that policy choices—not a lack of authority—drove prior waves of illegal crossings. The new data the administration cites is presented as validation of that claim, showing steady zero-release enforcement alongside significantly reduced encounters.
Officials emphasize the operational difference: where the border had functioned as a processing line, it is now being treated as a boundary with strict consequences for illegal entry. For supporters, the combination of zero releases and increased drug seizures is tangible proof the administration’s tougher approach has tightened control and improved safety at the border.
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