Although 95% lower than Biden era, illegal entries, apprehension up in May

By Bethany Blankley
The Center Square

Illegal entries and apprehensions were slightly up in May compared to April but remain at historic lows and 95% lower than they were under the Biden administration.

Nationwide apprehensions totaled 11,913 in May, up from 10,858 in April. The majority were at the southwest border of 9,998, according to the latest U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

During the height of the border crisis, some CBP sectors reported several hundred thousand illegal border crossers a month with a daily average of more than 10,000, The Center Square reported.

The 9,998 southwest apprehension total is 94% lower than the monthly average under the Biden administration and 96% below its peak. The total is also less than what Border Patrol apprehended in just three days in May 2024, CBP says.

Border Patrol’s average daily apprehensions along the southwest border of 323 in May was 94% lower than the daily average under the Biden administration.

It is also less than the total number of illegal border crossers who came through in a single hour during the height of the border crisis during the last administration. In Texas, this number surpassed 1,000 across its 1,254-mile border.

Total Border Patrol apprehensions along the southwest border this fiscal year through May are also 26% lower than the one-month average of any fiscal year since 1992, CBP says.

“The sustained decline in illegal border crossings and apprehensions – now at levels not seen in over three decades – shows the profound impact of robust enforcement policies. With daily apprehensions dramatically reduced from the previous administration, the border remains more secure than at any point in history,” CBP said in a statement.

Northern border totals are also significantly down with 528 apprehensions reported in May, slightly up from 448, according to the data.

Throughout the Biden administration, the northern border reported the greatest number of illegal border crosser apprehensions in U.S. history, including the greatest number of people apprehended on the federal terrorist watchlist, The Center Square reported.

“This milestone, coupled with historically low illegal crossings, demonstrates our unwavering commitment to securing our nation. Our robust enforcement policies are working, and we are delivering unprecedented results in border security, drug interdiction, and trade enforcement,” CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a statement.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security repeated its claim of “zero releases at the border,” stating May’s numbers represented “13 consecutive months of zero releases.” It’s referring to the Trump administration ending the Biden era catch and release policy.

Under the Trump administration, CBP released more than 13,000 inadmissible foreign nationals at ports of entry in the first six months of the Trump administration, according to CBP data, The Center Square reported.

The administration is also releasing illegal foreign national unaccompanied alien children (UAC) into the country. UACs are children under age 18 who are primarily smuggled to the U.S. border and arrive claiming they were brought to reunite with family members. A 2003 Bush administration federal law requires them to be released into the country.

Under the Biden administration, more than 475,000 UACs were released into the country. The greatest number in U.S. history were released to sponsors of nearly 127,500 in 2022, The Center Square reported.

Under the Trump administration, this number dropped to 24,259 in fiscal 2025 and 1,086, as of June 20, according to federal data. The fiscal year goes from Sept. 1 through Oct. 30.

State and local law enforcement officers are also apprehending illegal border crossers known as gotaways. “Gotaways” is the official CBP term for those who illegally enter between ports of entry to evade capture. Texas Operation Lone Star officers are regularly apprehending gotaways, including those with criminal records and those involved in human smuggling and trafficking, The Center Square reported.

Border Patrol and CBP also continue to seize large volumes of drugs. In May, they seized 32% more of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana combined by weight than they did in April, according to CBP data.

CBP officers seized 795 pounds of fentanyl in May, an increase of 72% from April.

They also seized an average of 37,033 pounds of marijuana every month over the last four months, CBP said, 61% more than the 14,500-pound average in fiscal 2024 during the Biden administration.

So far, CBP has seized 56% more drugs this fiscal year through May than it seized during the same period in fiscal 2024.