Happy New Year 2025

Tag: encounters

  • Trump-era southern border sees migrant encounters plummet by over 60% as new policies kick in

    Trump-era southern border sees migrant encounters plummet by over 60% as new policies kick in

    EXCLUSIVE: The number of migrants arriving at the southern border has dropped by over 60% since President Donald Trump took office last week, new data obtained by Fox News Digital shows.

    There were 7,287 migrant encounters at the southern border in the first seven days (Jan 20-26) after Trump’s inauguration by both Border Patrol between ports of entry and by the Office of Field Operations (OFO) at ports of entry, with a daily average of 1,041 encounters a day.

    That compares to 20,086 encounters in the seven days in the final days of the Biden administration (Jan 13-19) prior to Trump’s inauguration, averaging 2,869 encounters a day.

    BORDER AGENTS RECORD SHOCKINGLY LOW NUMBER OF ILLEGAL CROSSINGS ONE WEEK INTO SECOND TRUMP PRESIDENCY 

    US Army soldiers patrol the US-Mexico border at Eagle Pass, Texas, on January 24, 2025. US President Donald Trump ordered 1,500 more military personnel to the border with Mexico as part of a flurry of steps to tackle immigration, his spokeswoman said on January 22.  (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

    That equals more than a 63% decrease in the number of encounters at the southern border.

    President Trump entered office last week and immediately declared a national emergency at the southern border, and ordered the expulsion of migrants without the possibility of asylum. 

    He also shut down the Biden-era use of the CBP One app that allows migrants to schedule appointments at ports of entry so they can be allowed into the U.S. via humanitarian parole. The numbers suggest that the moves are having an impact at both the ports of entry and for those crossing illegally.

    COLOMBIAN LEADER QUICKLY CAVES AFTER TRUMP THREATS, OFFERS PRESIDENTIAL PLANE FOR DEPORTATION FLIGHTS

    Fox News reported on Monday that fewer than 600 people crossed illegally into the U.S. on Sunday, and that not a single of the nine sectors received more than 200 illegal crossings. The Del Rio sector – which is the same sector that would sustain over 4,000 crossings per day during the height of the border crisis in December 2023 – only recorded 60 crossings.

    CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

    Trump has sent the U.S. military to the border, ordered the continuation of wall construction and has shut down additional parole programs, including the processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. 

    President Donald Trump speaks with President Joe Biden at his inauguration

    President-elect Donald J. Trump  and President Joe Biden attend inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States takes place inside the Capitol Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., Monday, January 20, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times/Pool via Getty Images)

    Separately, his administration has launched a mass deportation program, quickly racking up daily arrests of more than 1,000 as raids take place in sanctuary cities including Boston and New York City.

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    DHS Secretary Kristi Noem oversaw one of the raids on Tuesday in New York City, saying that Immigration and Customs Enforcement caught “dirtbags” — including an illegal immigrant with kidnapping, assault & burglary charges.

    Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

    Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

    He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.

  • Border encounters drop sharply as Trump launches crackdown on illegal immigration

    Border encounters drop sharply as Trump launches crackdown on illegal immigration

    EXCLUSIVE: The U.S. southern border has seen a sharp drop in illegal immigrant encounters in the first days of the Trump administration, compared to the final few days of the Biden administration, a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) source tells Fox News Digital.

    The number of Border Patrol encounters at the southern border in the first three days of the Trump administration is 35% lower than the final three days of the Biden administration, the source said. The numbers do not include encounters at the northern border, or encounters at ports of entry by CBP’s Office of Field Operations.

    On Jan 17, there were 1,288 encounters nationwide, then 1,266 on Jan 18 and 1,354 on Jan 19. That is 3,908 encounters in total.

    TRUMP’S ICE RACKS UP HUNDREDS OF ARRESTS, INCLUDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED FOR HORROR CRIMES

    President Donald Trump holds a document on the day he issues executive orders and pardons for January 6 defendants in the Oval Office at the White House, January 20, 2025. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

    Trump took office on the 20th, when there were 1,073 encounters. It then declined further to 736 encounters on the 21st and again to 714 on the 22nd – making up 2,523 encounters.

    Numbers fluctuate sharply at the border on a daily and weekly basis, but numbers have been relatively low since June, when President Biden signed an executive order limiting asylum. That followed a historic migrant crisis from 2021 that had shattered records repeatedly.

    Migrants seeking asylum in the United States who previously requested an appointment on the CBP One Mobile application, are silhouetted as they queue at El Chaparral border crossing

    Migrants seeking asylum in the United States who previously requested an appointment on the CBP One Mobile application, are silhouetted as they queue at El Chaparral border crossing toward the U.S. to attend their appointment, in Tijuana, Mexico January 18, 2025.  (REUTERS/Jorge Duenes)

    President Donald Trump implemented additional restrictions. On taking office, he signed orders declaring a national emergency at the border, deploying the military to the border and ended the use of the CBP One app to process migrants at ports of entry via humanitarian parole.

    His administration has also launched a mass deportation operation, with ICE agents active in multiple cities and states across the United States.

    ‘PROMPT REMOVAL’: TRUMP DHS EXPANDS EXPEDITED DEPORTATION POWERS AS OPERATIONS RAMP UP

    The Department of Homeland Security has also issued memos rescinding limits placed on ICE by the Biden administration, ordering a review of parole, and expanding the use of expedited removal for recently-arrived illegal immigrants.

    Trump’s administration has also moved to restore border wall construction and reinstate the Remain-in-Mexico policy, which requires migrants to stay in Mexico for the duration of their asylum cases.

    CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

    Trump also signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants — a move which quickly sparked a lawsuit from nearly two dozen Democratic-led states.

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    Although the data is preliminary, lower numbers will likely fuel speculation about a “Trump effect,” in which migrants are discouraged from making their way to the border if they believe they are less likely to be admitted, or more likely to be deported if they are.
     

    Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

    He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.