Border encounters drop sharply as Trump launches crackdown on illegal immigration
The U.S. southern border has experienced a significant decrease in illegal immigrant encounters in the early days of the Trump administration, as compared to the final days of the Biden administration, according to a source from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) who spoke exclusively to Fox News Digital.
The source revealed that the number of Border Patrol encounters at the southern border in the first three days of the Trump administration was 35% lower than the final three days of the Biden administration. These numbers do not include encounters at the northern border or at ports of entry by CBP’s Office of Field Operations.
In specific terms, on January 17, there were 1,288 encounters nationwide, followed by 1,266 on January 18 and 1,354 on January 19, totaling 3,908 encounters. President Donald Trump officially took office on January 20, with 1,073 encounters recorded on that day. The numbers continued to decline to 736 encounters on January 21 and 714 on January 22, totaling 2,523 encounters.
While encounters at the border fluctuate daily and weekly, the numbers have been relatively low since June, when President Biden signed an executive order limiting asylum. This followed a significant migrant crisis in 2021 that set numerous records.
Upon taking office, President Trump implemented additional restrictions, including declaring a national emergency at the border, deploying the military to the border, and ending the use of the CBP One app for processing migrants at ports of entry via humanitarian parole. His administration also initiated a mass deportation operation, with ICE agents active in multiple cities and states across the country.
The Department of Homeland Security issued memos rescinding limits placed on ICE by the Biden administration, ordering a review of parole, and expanding the use of expedited removal for recently-arrived illegal immigrants. Trump’s administration also reinstated border wall construction and the Remain-in-Mexico policy, which requires migrants to remain in Mexico during their asylum cases.
President Trump also signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants, prompting a lawsuit from nearly two dozen Democratic-led states.
While the data is preliminary, the decline in encounters is likely to fuel speculation about a “Trump effect,” where migrants are deterred from attempting to cross the border if they believe they are less likely to be granted entry or more likely to face deportation.
Adam Shaw, a politics reporter for Fox News Digital focusing on immigration and border security, can be contacted at adam.shaw2@fox.com or on Twitter.
