The Trump administration just completed more than a full year in which Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) released zero illegal aliens into the interior of the United States.
May marked the 13th straight month in which CBP reported zero instances of “catch and release,” a practice that had become widespread under the Biden administration. Agents apprehended just 9,998 illegal aliens along the entire southwest border last month—a staggering 94 percent drop from the Biden administration’s monthly average and 96 percent below the peak of the border crisis.
On average, CBP encountered just 323 migrants per day in May, a figure that is lower than what the law enforcement agency often saw in a single hour under President Biden. In December 2024, Biden’s last full month in office, CBP reported nearly 250,000 illegal entrants along the southwest border.
Meanwhile, CBP’s enforcement efforts are yielding major results in the fight against drug trafficking. Nationwide drug seizures rose 32 percent compared to May 2024, fentanyl seizures jumped 72 percent from April, and agents have seized 56 percent more narcotics this fiscal year than during the same period last year, keeping dangerous drugs out of American communities.
“Thirteen straight months of zero releases at the border,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement. “The days of catch and release are over.”
After years of watching millions of migrants cross the border illegally, including human traffickers, murderers, rapists, ruthless cartel criminals, and hundreds of thousands being released into the country pending court dates that could be years away, the practice known as “catch and release” has effectively disappeared.
Trump’s swift and historic success on securing the border forces Democrats, immigration activists, and many members of the media who spent years insisting that the situation was the fault of nebulous “root causes” in foreign countries and a supposedly “broken” immigration system to confront the uncomfortable reality that the only real problem was failed liberal policies.
Under the Biden administration, migrants who crossed the border illegally were often processed and then released into the country while awaiting immigration proceedings. Because immigration courts are severely backlogged, those proceedings could take years – effectively allowing illegal crossers a get-out-of-jail-free card. The result was obvious. Word spread throughout the world that crossing the border by any means necessary was a free meal ticket. Predictably, border crossings exploded.
Border communities were overwhelmed. New York City, Chicago, Denver, and other major cities struggled to cope with waves of migrants. Taxpayers were handed enormous bills for housing, healthcare, education, and other services that were provided to illegal aliens under the Biden administration.
Reacting to the latest update on Trump’s success, the Republican National Committee’s research arm wrote on X, “Thanks to President Trump cleaning up the Democrats’ mess, we currently have the most secure border in history.”
Now, after 13 consecutive months of zero releases, apprehensions have fallen to levels not seen in decades, allowing CBP agents to focus more resources on combating cartels, intercepting narcotics, and securing the border.
“This milestone, coupled with historically low illegal crossings, demonstrates our unwavering commitment to securing our nation,” CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said. “Our robust enforcement policies are working.”
The latest numbers prove yet again that the only thing needed all along to secure the border was strong and determined leadership.
Paul Belmonte is a Law and Global Affairs student at the University at Buffalo with experience in state government and public policy.
