Federal officials said June apprehensions fell to 9,848—fewer than Border Patrol recorded during four days in June 2024—as the agency expands staffing, technology and enforcement operations.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
U.S. Border Patrol released no illegal immigrants into the United States from the southern border during June, extending the agency’s zero-release record to 14 consecutive months under the Trump administration.
Customs and Border Protection announced the latest figures July 16, describing enforcement along the southwest border as operating at “historic levels” as illegal crossings remained sharply below those recorded during the previous administration.
Border Patrol agents apprehended 9,848 people at the southwest border during June, according to the agency’s monthly enforcement announcement. CBP said that total was 94% lower than the monthly average under the previous administration.
The agency also said the number of people apprehended during the entire month was lower than the number taken into custody during four days in June 2024.
“As I have said many times, leadership and policy matter. When laws are enforced, fewer people will break the law. Under the leadership of President [Donald] Trump and Secretary Mullin, CBP is fully enforcing our immigration and border security laws,” CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott said, referring to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
“CBP is preventing dangerous criminal aliens and illicit narcotics from entering our communities, enhancing the safety of every American for generations to come.”
The decline in releases and apprehensions comes as the administration directs tens of billions of dollars toward immigration enforcement, personnel, equipment and border infrastructure.
President Donald Trump signed the Secure America Act last month, providing $70 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol through Sept. 30, 2029. The funding extends beyond Trump’s current term and is intended to support continued enforcement operations for several years.
The legislation directs $22 billion to Border Patrol for recruiting, training, equipping and compensating agents and support personnel. Approximately $13 billion of that amount is reserved specifically for immigration enforcement operations.
Another $5 billion was designated for screening systems, surveillance tools and other border-security technology.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., defended the funding after the House approved the measure June 9, arguing that the multiyear appropriation would prevent Democrats from reducing resources for ICE and Border Patrol during the next several years.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said the legislation strengthened support for federal law enforcement.
Democratic Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin of Illinois criticized the funding package, describing it as a “disastrous bill” that devoted excessive federal resources to immigration enforcement.
In a June 12 statement criticizing the legislation, the senators compared the $70 billion appropriation with the potential cost of several Illinois programs and projects.
They said the same amount could have funded three years of federal Medicaid support for 3.5 million Illinois residents, paid for free infant care for every baby in the state for 10 years or financed the equivalent of five renovations of O’Hare International Airport.
“Trump claims we can’t afford daycare and healthcare for families but has no problem signing a $70 billion blank check,” Duckworth said.
The additional border funding follows separate investments included in the One Big Beautiful Bill, which Trump signed into law during a July 4 celebration last year.
CBP said those investments increased interest among applicants and strengthened the agency’s ability to recruit qualified candidates.
The agency reported June 24 that 21,471 Border Patrol agents were serving nationwide, the largest workforce in the organization’s 102-year history.
CBP is continuing to fill law-enforcement and mission-support positions at locations across the country. The agency also scheduled a July 23 virtual recruiting event focused on employment opportunities for veterans and military spouses, according to a separate July 16 hiring announcement.
“CBP is an extremely welcoming employer for veterans and military spouses,” Andrea Bright, assistant commissioner of CBP’s Office of Human Resources Management, said.
The recruitment effort is part of a broader operational plan outlined in the agency’s 2025–2029 Border Patrol Strategy.
The strategy calls for expanding physical infrastructure throughout the country, including border barriers, permanent surveillance towers and checkpoints.
Border Patrol also plans to deploy advanced autonomous surveillance systems to improve its ability to detect, locate and identify people or contraband crossing the border illegally.
The agency intends to use intelligence and predictive analysis to anticipate high-risk crossing patterns and “strategically position resources to disrupt and deter illicit activities,” according to the strategy.
CBP credited current enforcement policies, expanded staffing and sustained federal investment for the continued decline in illegal crossings and the absence of releases from Border Patrol custody at the southern border.
Original article
Comments