By Steve Neavling
Illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have fallen to their lowest levels in decades, leaving once-packed migrant shelters nearly empty and prompting more people stranded in Mexico to return home.
The decline marks a stark contrast from just a few years ago, when hundreds of thousands of migrants crossed into the U.S. each month, creating scenes of chaos and overwhelming border facilities, The New York Times reports.
In February, an average of 1,527 people crossed the border illegally each day — the lowest daily average recorded during President Biden’s tenure. While still five times the number seen in February 2017, the first full month of Donald Trump’s first term, migration experts say crossings could fall to levels not seen since the late 1960s if the trend continues.
Biden, under mounting political pressure during the 2024 election, tightened asylum policies and leaned on Mexico to restrict migration. By the end of his term, crossings had already dropped significantly. Now, President Trump has imposed even stricter measures, further cutting the flow of migrants with policies that critics argue are extreme, legally questionable, and ineffective at addressing the root causes of migration.
“The entire migration paradigm is shifting,” said Eunice Rendón, coordinator of Migrant Agenda, a coalition of advocacy groups in Mexico. Referring to Trump’s policies and his rhetoric against migrants, she added, “Families are terrified.”
Trump has deployed a range of hard-line tactics, including suspending asylum applications for those arriving at the southern border, sending troops to deter and arrest border crossers, publicizing deportation flights that show migrants being sent home in shackles, and pressuring Latin American governments to do more to stop migration before it reaches the U.S.
The impact has been dramatic. In February, Border Patrol reported 8,347 apprehensions at the border, a sharp drop from the record high of more than 225,000 in December 2023. The decline had already begun under Biden, who introduced his own immigration restrictions in 2023. By his final full month in office, border apprehensions had fallen to 47,330.
With the new administration doubling down on enforcement, the border is quieter than it has been in decades, marking a major shift in U.S. immigration policy.
