All Quiet on the Southern Front
America's immigration laws are in place for a reason. They are designed to protect the sovereignty of this great nation, maintain public safety, and ensure that those who seek entrance into this country do so in a fair and legal manner. Under President Donald Trump, America is once again taking immigration seriously, and it is restoring respect for the rule of law at our borders.
Even better, the numbers prove it.
For the tenth month in a row, there have been zero releases of illegal immigrants into the United States. This is a dramatic change from the chaos that was evident at America's southern border under Biden. The message is now clear: if you are caught entering this country illegally, you are not going to stay in the United States. You’re gone.
The results of stronger enforcement have been felt almost immediately. Illicit border crossings and apprehensions have been reduced to numbers not seen in over three decades. The average number of apprehensions per day by the U.S. Border Patrol on the southwest border is now 95 percent lower than during the Biden administration, when over 300,000 illegal immigrants attempted to cross the border in just a single month.
The new strategy has reversed this trend. In February, U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered 22 percent fewer illegal immigrants nationwide who were attempting to enter the country compared to January. This figure was also 88 percent lower than the monthly average during the previous administration.
Border enforcement is about more than the numbers of migrants. It is also the best way to prevent dangerous drugs from harming our communities. In February, Customs and Border Protection reported it was the highest month of drug seizures in almost five years. Marijuana seizures were up 129 percent. Fentanyl seizures were up 67 percent. Methamphetamine seizures were up 46 percent. Cocaine seizures were up 39 percent. Heroin seizures were up 10 percent.
These numbers are unheard of, and they’ve saved countless lives.
By maintaining strong enforcement, more than three million illegal aliens have left the United States since President Trump took office. Out of these, about 2.2 million self-deported.
A lax border policy doesn’t just harm Americans, but children along the border as well. At the end of the Biden administration, more than half a million children had crossed the border without a parent or a guardian. Many of these children were taken into custody, but it was difficult for authorities to keep track of their whereabouts. Since the change in immigration policy, authorities have been able to find 145,000 missing migrant children who were lost in the system. This can never happen again.
A stronger border is part of a larger picture of increased public safety throughout the nation. Murders have dropped 21 percent in 35 major American cities, according to a 2025 survey. The murder rate is now at the lowest point since 1900: a 125-year record.
These successes are only built upon with the Working Families Tax Cuts initiative. The legislation includes the largest funding boost for immigration enforcement in American history. It includes funding to support at least one million deportations of illegal aliens, and to build the border wall with enhanced border security technology. Perhaps most important, the legislation gives much-needed bonuses for Border Patrol and ICE agents who work every day on the front lines of our nation’s security.
The message is simple. The system works when laws are enforced. President Trump’s zero-tolerance border policy has given American immigration laws much-needed credibility and has helped make our communities safer.
A safe border means a safe America. A safe border puts Americans first.