By Jason Hopkins
The Trump administration on Friday hailed its ongoing streak of record-low activity along the U.S.-Mexico as tough enforcement policies continued to bear fruit.
For the third month in a row, Border Patrol agents released a grand total of zero migrants into the interior of the United States in July, according to a press release from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The current situation marks a far cry from the peak of the border crisis during the Biden era, which experienced tens of thousands of illegal migrants released every month. (RELATED: Trump’s Favorite Latin American Ally Could Be Around For A Long Time)
“History made, again. The numbers don’t lie — this is the most secure the border has ever been,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a public statement.
“President Trump didn’t just manage the crisis — he obliterated it. No more excuses. No more releases,” Noem continued. “We’ve put the cartels on defense and taken our border back.”
US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem (C) rides a four-wheeler during a tour along the Nogales border wall at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, March 15, 2025. (Photo by Alex Brandon / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEX BRANDON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
A laundry list of records were broken during the month of July, according to preliminary records published by DHS.
There were just 4,598 apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border for the month, a record low number that is nearly 500 fewer than the daily average set under the Biden administration, which was around 5,110 apprehensions per day from February 2021 to December 2024.
Nationwide, border agents experienced a record low of 24,630 encounters during July, a 2.4% tick down from the previous month and nearly a 90% drop from the monthly average under the Biden administration, according to DHS. Border Patrol agents made 6,177 apprehensions nationwide, breaking the all-time record set the previous month.
“Stats don’t lie. Border Security IS National Security and we will continue to unapologetically enforce our nation’s laws,” Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks stated Friday on social media, touting the amount of drug busts made by his agency during July.
The enormous drop in encounters has resulted in the elimination of “catch and release,” a process where overpopulated detention facilities are forced to release illegal migrants to make space for new arrivals.
Border Patrol agents in May released a grand total of zero illegal migrants into the U.S. The administration continued this success in June with zero releases, and managed to release zero in July, demonstrating how calm the southern border has become under the Trump administration.
For perspective, Border Patrol agents were forced to release roughly 62,000 migrants along the southern border in May 2024 and another 27,766 in June 2024 under the Biden administration, according to Customs and Border Protection.
The Trump White House has previously referred to these milestones as “the fastest improvement in American border security of all time.
