The U.S. Border Patrol released a grand total of zero illegal migrants into the country during the month of May, demonstrating the rapid decline in illegal migration since President Donald Trump returned to office.
In what the administration is describing as the “fastest improvement in American border security of all time,” not a single illegal migrant was released into the U.S. in May, according to newly-released data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The figure marks a major improvement from the 62,000 illegal migrants released into the country in May 2024, as then-president Joe Biden was continuing to deal with an unprecedented border crisis.
“Thanks to the tireless efforts and diligent work of the men and women of CBP and the leadership of [Trump] and [Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem], USBP released 0 (not a single one) illegal aliens into our country in May, down from more than 62,000 in May of last year,” CBP posted Tuesday on social media.
Border Patrol agents encountered a total of 8,725 illegal migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border between ports of entry in May, according to CBP. This figure marked a 93% drop from the 117,905 illegal migrant encounters in May 2024. The enormous drop in encounters resulted in the elimination of “catch and release,” a process where overburdened detention facilities are forced to release illegal migrants to make space for new arrivals.
As for nationwide encounters, including those at ports of entry, CBP agents averaged roughly 952 per day for the month, marking the second lowest daily average of CBP encounters in history, according to the agency. Under Biden, the average number of monthly encounters reached nearly 160,000 and the daily average peaked at 15,000.
