The Trump administration says U.S. Border Patrol has now gone 11 straight months without releasing a single migrant into the United States from the southern border, a stark break from the surge, catch-and-release, and mass entry that defined the final years of the Biden administration.
New data released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shows Border Patrol recorded 8,268 arrests along the southwest border in March, with a daily average of 267. The agency said that total also marked the 11th consecutive month of zero releases at the border.
The March numbers follow a similarly low February, when DHS reported 6,603 arrests and a daily average of 236. March rose slightly from February, but stayed in the same range instead of returning to the levels seen during the 2023 surge.
DHS said March’s total was 97 percent below the December 2023 peak and 90 percent below the monthly average over the last 33 years. The agency also said March marked the 14th consecutive month with fewer than 9,000 southwest border arrests.
Secretary Markwayne Mullin pointed to that stretch in the administration’s latest release:
“Eleven straight months of zero releases at the border. Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, we are delivering the most secure border in American history. The world knows America’s borders are closed to lawbreakers.”
As noted, Border Patrol’s daily average in March was 267 arrests. In December 2023, DHS says agents were averaging 336 arrests per hour at the peak of the surge.
At multiple points in 2023, Border Patrol stations reported being over capacity, with agents pulled off enforcement duties to process and release migrants into the interior. DHS data shows those conditions have not returned during the current stretch, with arrests staying low enough for agents to remain focused on enforcement rather than mass intake.
DHS affirmed Border Patrol has now gone 11 straight months without releasing migrants into the country, a reversal from the prior approach that saw large numbers of illegal entrants processed and allowed into the United States while awaiting court dates.
Administration officials tied the drop to changes in enforcement, including detention and removal policies put in place after Trump returned to office. Assistant DHS Secretary Lauren Bis said those changes did not require new laws:
“It turns out we didn’t need new laws to secure our border. We just needed a new President.”
DHS said daily arrests in March were 95 percent lower than the Biden-era daily average, while monthly totals remained far below both the late-2023 peak and long-term historical norms.
CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said the administration views the current numbers as lasting:
“America First policies, real consequences, and a unified federal effort backed by personnel, infrastructure, and technology are how we’ve delivered the most secure border in U.S. history. This isn’t temporary. This is the new normal.”
There are still arrests at the border every day. But for nearly a year, the numbers have not come close to the surge levels seen at the end of the Biden administration, and they have not returned.
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