Trump’s Policies Achieve Unprecedented Success, Historic Drops

Tall metal border wall with rural landscape.

President Trump’s border enforcement strategies have achieved unprecedented success, with February’s illegal immigration numbers dropping to the lowest levels in recorded history just one month after his return to office.

Top Takeaways

  • Border Patrol apprehensions plummeted to just 8,326 in the first month of Trump’s administration.
  • The Trump administration implemented decisive actions including military deployment, increased deportations, ICE raids, and elimination of migrant benefits without waiting for congressional legislation.
  • A new trend of “reverse migration” has emerged with migrants turning back before reaching the border.
  • Interior enforcement has dramatically increased with ICE arrests up 137% in early 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
  • The administration has begun reclaiming federal funds from sanctuary cities and targeting programs that provide benefits to illegal immigrants.

Historic Drop in Border Encounters

U.S. Border Patrol recorded approximately 8,450 apprehensions in February, marking the lowest monthly total since at least fiscal year 2000. This dramatic decrease represents a 94% reduction from February of last year. Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks confirmed these remarkable statistics, highlighting the effectiveness of the administration’s enhanced enforcement approach. The previous comparable low occurred in April 2017 during Trump’s first term when 11,000 apprehensions were recorded.

This sharp decline accelerated following Trump’s inauguration, with a 70% decrease from January to February alone. The reduction follows a record spike under the Biden administration when daily apprehensions regularly reached 8,000 – nearly equal to what is now being reported for an entire month. While crossings had begun declining in early 2024 due to Mexican enforcement efforts and some Biden-era asylum restrictions, the current numbers represent an unprecedented drop in illegal immigration activity.

Swift and Decisive Actions

The Trump administration wasted no time implementing aggressive border security measures without waiting for congressional action on a border bill. The president declared a national emergency at the border, deployed U.S. military forces, ended birthright citizenship through executive order, suspended refugee admissions, and resumed border wall construction. The Pentagon has opened Guantánamo Bay for migrant processing and positioned troops along the southern border, creating a formidable deterrent to illegal entry.

Biden-era ICE restrictions have been overturned, empowering law enforcement to conduct expedited removals and review parole statuses granted under the previous administration. High-profile raids in “sanctuary” cities have resulted in over a thousand daily arrests, including violent criminals and gang members. The administration has also begun reclaiming federal funds from cities that shelter illegal immigrants, including tens of millions of dollars from New York City programs designated for housing migrants.

Changing Migrant Behavior

Perhaps the most telling sign of the policy’s effectiveness is the emergence of “reverse migration,” with many foreign nationals abandoning their journeys to the United States and returning to their home countries. Several non-governmental migrant shelters have closed due to reduced federal funding and dramatically decreased demand as fewer migrants attempt to cross the border. The administration’s firm messaging appears to be reaching potential migrants before they undertake dangerous journeys.

Interior ICE arrests have increased by 137% from January 20 to February 8 compared to the same period in 2024. A recent executive order directs federal agencies to identify and correct federally funded programs providing financial benefits to illegal immigrants, ensuring taxpayer dollars don’t support sanctuary policies or incentivize illegal immigration. Despite these successes, the administration still faces challenges with deportation operations, as ICE continues to address capacity and operational issues in handling the large population of illegal immigrants already present in the country.

Sources:

  1. Trump reports illegal immigrant encounters at historic lows during first full month in office
  2. Amid Trump crackdown, illegal border crossings plunge to levels not seen in decades
  3. TRUMP EFFECT: Migrant Encounters at Southern Border Hit Lowest-Ever Mark, Down 94 Percent from Last February

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