Illegal Crossings at U.S.-Mexico Border Hit 1970s Low
Preliminary internal Department of Homeland Security figures obtained by CBS News show U.S. Border Patrol recorded nearly 238,000 apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico southern border in fiscal year 2025 — the lowest annual total since about 1970. The decline is attributed by officials and analysts to the Trump administration's stricter asylum limits, rapid deportations, and large-scale troop deployments to the border; the data include monthly tallies (about 8,400 apprehensions in September 2025) and comparisons to a record 2.2 million apprehensions in fiscal year 2022.
Immigration
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National Security
📌 Key Facts
- Border Patrol recorded nearly 238,000 apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2025 (FY ends Sept. 30, 2025).
- That is the lowest annual Border Patrol total since fiscal year 1970 (roughly 202,000 apprehensions); by contrast, FY2022 saw about 2.2 million apprehensions.
- Monthly counts in 2025 were at record lows: about 4,600 in July, 6,300 in August and nearly 8,400 in September (preliminary DHS data).
- Article cites White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson and Migration Policy Institute analyst Ariel Ruiz Soto; attributes declines to Trump administration enforcement, troop deployments, and asylum restrictions.