Trump delivers the most secure border in US history
By Wendi Strauch Mahoney www.americanthinker.com
Since returning to the White House on January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump has moved swiftly and resolutely to restore control of America’s southern border — reviving key policies from his first term, reinstituting emergency measures, and dismantling catch-and-release loopholes that had fueled a historic migration surge under his predecessor, President Joe Biden. Six months later, the numbers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) paint a striking picture: Illegal crossings have plummeted, drug seizures are up, and the agency and the Department of Homeland Security are reporting the “most secure border in U.S. history.”
According to the CBP’s June 2025 enforcement update, monthly encounters nationwide fell to just 25,228 — the lowest level ever recorded by the agency. On the southwest border, CBP apprehensions dropped to 6,072, setting a new historic low. This represents a 92.7-percent decrease from June 2024, when CBP apprehended 85,532 individuals. Even more striking, the agency reported zero parole releases in May and June. In June 2024, 27,766 individuals were released. CBP also noted a record-setting single day on June 28, when only 136 illegal crossings were registered.
These figures are dramatic, with each of the last five months showing a more than 90-percent decrease in encounters compared to mid-2024 levels. Below is a chart from CBP that illustrates the historic drop in nationwide encounters under the Trump administration:
The dramatic turnaround follows a series of executive orders signed by Trump on Inauguration Day declaring a national emergency at the border, reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” program, and revoking broad use of humanitarian parole. The administration has also resumed construction of the border wall and increased deportations under Title 8.
Notably, the Biden administration paroled approximately 3 million otherwise inadmissible aliens into the country, according to testimony before Congress from Dr. Steven Camarota, director of research with the Center for Immigration Studies. Highlighting the fiscal consequences of Biden’s expansion of parole programs, Camarota shared that parolees are “almost certainly a net fiscal drain” on the country’s resources. He stated that it is “primarily due to low average education levels, resulting in low average earnings and tax payments” with about “half of households headed by newly arrived immigrants from the primarily parolee-sending countries receiv[ing] welfare.”
The fentanyl crisis has also been front and center during Trump’s first six months. On Wednesday, July 16, 2025, President Trump signed bipartisan anti-fentanyl legislation into law, known as the Halt Fentanyl Act. It codifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule 1 drugs. Under this bill, fentanyl-related offenses will trigger stricter penalties and prison sentences.
CBP’s drug seizure report highlights the administration’s intensified efforts to combat transnational crime and fentanyl trafficking. In just one month, the agency seized 742 pounds of fentanyl — a three-percent increase over May. Seizures of methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine also rose, with meth seizures jumping by 102 percent. The surge in interdictions underscores the administration’s focus not only on border security, but also on disrupting the deadly narcotics pipeline fueling overdoses nationwide.
In tandem with its enforcement push, the Trump administration has transformed the operational structure of the border itself. The CBP One app — widely criticized during the Biden years for facilitating mass asylum scheduling — has been overhauled and rebranded as “CBP Home,” with all humanitarian parole functions removed. Migrants are no longer offered pre-scheduled appointments at ports of entry. Instead, they are encouraged to self-deport, to return to their home countries and apply through lawful, merit-based channels. The administration has also expanded expedited removal procedures and announced new partnerships with Latin American governments to stem northward migration.
On Capitol Hill, the president secured the Big Beautiful Bill (BBB), featuring $46.5 billion to complete construction of the border wall, $4.1 billion for Border Patrol hiring, $2.7 billion for “new cutting-edge border surveillance,” $3.2 billion for new technology, $855 million to expand CBP’s vehicle fleet, and bonuses for ICE and Border Patrol agents for the next four years. That investment is already being used to reinforce wall construction across key corridors, add 80,000 new ICE beds, and deploy advanced monitoring systems along high-traffic routes.
According to the July 4 press release from DHS secretary Noem, the BBB also fortifies the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). The bill authorizes $14.1 billion for USCG cutters, $3.7 billion for USCG aircraft, and $6 billion for USCG infrastructure.
Meanwhile, CBP reports that it processed over $265 billion in imports during the month of June alone, identifying $26.5 billion in duties. Year-to-date, the agency has collected nearly $108.9 billion from tariffs, taxes, and fees — underscoring the administration’s dual-pronged strategy of securing the border while bolstering economic sovereignty.
Taken together, these enforcement gains mark a dramatic reversal of the crisis conditions that plagued the border just one year ago. In 2023 and early 2024, monthly apprehensions routinely exceeded 200,000. Human-smuggling networks operated with near impunity, and border towns were overwhelmed with migrant releases. Today, those same communities are reporting record lows in foot traffic and emergency response calls related to border crossings.
Critics argue that the administration’s aggressive tactics risk undermining humanitarian protections and diplomatic relations. But for the White House, the trade-off is clear: secure borders, restored rule of law, and a message of deterrence that appears to be stemming the tide of illegal migration to the U.S.
“We now have the most secure border in our nation’s history,” chief of U.S. Border Patrol Michael Banks said in a statement, citing the agency’s June enforcement data. “This is the result of strong leadership, decisive policy, and relentless focus on mission and we are just getting started.”
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