A new Center for Immigration Studies analysis says terrorism-related encounters at Southwest ports of entry more than tripled during the first 11 months of fiscal 2026 even as illegal crossings between ports fell to historically low levels.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded more than 11,250 terrorism-related encounters at Southwest ports of entry during the first 11 months of fiscal 2026, according to a new analysis that found a sharp increase in watchlist-related encounters even as illegal crossings between ports declined dramatically.
The Center for Immigration Studies analysis, released Monday, said the port-of-entry total was more than three times the approximately 3,700 encounters reported in fiscal 2025 and vastly higher than the 103 recorded in fiscal 2021.
The figures refer to encounters involving people whose identities generated terrorism-related watchlist matches or associated records during CBP screening.
They do not mean that all 11,250 people were confirmed terrorists.
CBP screens travelers against federal law-enforcement and national-security databases at ports of entry, where officers inspect foreign visitors, returning U.S. citizens and other travelers seeking admission. The agency says its primary border-security mission includes preventing terrorists and other security threats from entering the country.
The sharp increase occurred almost entirely at official ports of entry rather than among migrants apprehended after crossing illegally between them.
According to CIS, CBP recorded just 105 terrorism-related encounters between Southwest ports during the same fiscal 2026 period.
Andrew Arthur, the center’s fellow in law and policy, said the contrast could indicate that tighter enforcement between ports is pushing potentially dangerous travelers toward official crossings, where CBP officers are positioned to identify them.
“The dramatic increase is a positive measure of border security,” Arthur said in a statement. “With illegal entries at historic lows, potential terrorists and other dangerous individuals are more likely to attempt entry through ports of entry, where CBP officers are positioned to identify and stop them.”
“The most logical conclusions to draw from the massive rise in CBP’s border port of entry encounters of those with terrorism-related records is: One, with the border secure, bad actors are choosing to try their luck at the ports instead of entering illegally; and two, port officers are now better positioned to stop them,” Arthur continued.
“Maybe it’s time for the president to mention the key metric that underscores how important that ‘secure border’ is to the safety of the American people.”
Arthur’s explanation is the Center for Immigration Studies’ interpretation of the data. The figures themselves do not establish why more watchlist-related travelers appeared at ports of entry in fiscal 2026.
Changes in travel patterns, screening practices, watchlist records or enforcement behavior could also affect the number of encounters.
CBP’s screening system is designed to identify travelers who may have terrorism-related records, active warrants, immigration violations or other security concerns before they are admitted into the United States.
Current CBP documents describe officers as reviewing travelers against systems that can contain Terrorist Screening Database information, law-enforcement lookout records, biometric databases and outstanding warrants during the inspection process.
A database match can lead to additional questioning, secondary inspection and coordination with other federal agencies.
Not every watchlist match results in arrest, prosecution or a determination that the traveler is a terrorist.
The surge at official crossings comes as apprehensions between ports have moved sharply in the opposite direction.
Border Patrol is on pace for approximately 98,000 Southwest border apprehensions during fiscal 2026, according to the CIS analysis.
That would represent a decline of about 95% from fiscal 2023, when Border Patrol recorded approximately 2.045 million apprehensions along the Southwest border.
The decline follows a major shift in federal border policy after President Donald Trump returned to office, including increased detention and removal, tighter asylum restrictions, additional military and law-enforcement deployments and a renewed emphasis on preventing illegal entry.
CBP has historically distinguished between activity occurring at official ports of entry and apprehensions occurring between those ports.
At ports of entry, officers with the Office of Field Operations inspect people who present themselves for admission.
Between ports, U.S. Border Patrol agents are responsible for detecting and apprehending people who cross illegally.
That distinction is particularly important when examining terrorism-related encounter data.
Someone arriving at an official port is presenting for inspection and can be screened against federal databases before being allowed to enter.
A person crossing illegally between ports may attempt to evade that screening process altogether.
The CIS analysis argues that the dramatic decline in illegal crossings has shifted more potentially problematic travelers toward controlled entry points.
If so, Arthur said, the surge in port encounters could represent more effective interception rather than an increase in successful terrorist infiltration.
The report contrasted fiscal 2026 with earlier years when the southern border was experiencing record illegal migration.
In fiscal 2023, Border Patrol apprehended more than 2 million people at the Southwest border.
Large migration surges placed substantial pressure on Border Patrol personnel, who were frequently diverted from routine patrol and surveillance duties to process, transport and care for migrants.
Republicans repeatedly warned during the Biden administration that those conditions created national-security vulnerabilities.
Biden administration officials argued that CBP continued screening migrants against national-security databases and that people identified through the Terrorist Screening Dataset received heightened scrutiny.
The issue became particularly contentious when CBP disclosed increased watchlist encounters between ports during the record migration years.
Monday’s CIS analysis describes a substantially different pattern in 2026: far fewer people are being apprehended crossing illegally, while terrorism-related encounters are increasingly concentrated at staffed ports of entry.
CBP’s public statistics have traditionally referred to the Terrorist Screening Dataset, formerly known as the Terrorist Screening Database, when reporting these encounters.
The dataset contains identifying information related to people the federal government has determined meet criteria for inclusion based on terrorism-related information.
Federal screening systems can also generate alerts involving affiliations, associations or other national-security records that require officers to determine whether a traveler is admissible.
That is why the term “terrorism-related encounter” should not be read as synonymous with “terrorist arrested.”
The number describes an encounter that triggered terrorism-related screening information.
The ultimate result of each encounter can vary.
Some travelers may be denied admission. Others can be questioned or referred to another law-enforcement agency. Some records can involve identity issues or require additional review before officers determine whether the person presents an actual threat.
The new figures nonetheless represent a dramatic change in where those encounters are occurring.
More than 11,250 terrorism-related encounters at Southwest ports through the first 11 months of fiscal 2026 compare with slightly more than 3,700 during all of fiscal 2025, according to CIS.
The fiscal 2021 figure was just 103.
At the same time, only 105 such encounters were recorded between Southwest ports this fiscal year.
The two trends together — rising watchlist encounters at controlled entry points and sharply falling illegal crossings — form the basis of the center’s conclusion that the security environment at the southern border has fundamentally changed.
CBP has said that screening travelers for terrorist and other security threats remains one of its central responsibilities.
The agency operates more than 300 ports of entry nationwide and uses biographic, biometric and law-enforcement information to determine whether travelers may lawfully enter the United States.
Those systems are intended to identify security concerns before travelers clear inspection.
The current data suggest officers at Southwest ports are encountering substantially more people whose records require that additional terrorism-related scrutiny.
Why the figure has increased so sharply remains open to interpretation.
The Center for Immigration Studies argues that strengthened enforcement between ports has left official crossings as the more likely route for people who might previously have attempted to enter illegally.
Regardless of the cause, the numbers show a marked change from recent years.
Illegal Southwest border apprehensions have fallen by roughly 95% from their fiscal 2023 level, while terrorism-related encounters at the ports have climbed to more than 11,250 in the first 11 months of fiscal 2026.
For Arthur, the combination is evidence that border security should be measured not only by how many people are caught crossing illegally, but also by how effectively federal officers can identify potentially dangerous travelers before they are admitted.
“With the border secure,” he said, “bad actors are choosing to try their luck at the ports instead of entering illegally.”
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