13th Consecutive Month of Zero Releases at Southern Border: CBP

Border Patrol released zero illegal immigrants into the United States at the southwest border for the 13th straight month in May.

Last month, Border Patrol apprehended 9,998 individuals along the southwest border, which was fewer than the number of people apprehended in just three days in May 2024, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a June 18 statement. May’s numbers are 94 percent lower than the monthly average during the prior administration.

The average number of apprehensions per day by Border Patrol was also 94 percent lower than the daily average recorded under the previous administration. Border crossings and apprehensions are at levels “not seen in over three decades,” CBP said.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the Trump administration was delivering the “most secure border in American history.”

“The days of catch and release are over. We are enforcing the nation’s laws and quickly sending illegal aliens back to their home countries, ensuring the safety and sovereignty of our nation.”

So far this fiscal year, in the eight months from October 2025 through May 2026, CBP has encountered 90,121 foreign nationals at the southwest land border, CBP data showed.

This is lower than the 405,171 encounters during the same period in fiscal year 2025 and the nearly 1.7 million in 2024.

In February 2025, the first full month under the second term of the Trump administration, encounter numbers drastically dropped to 11,710 from 61,445 in January 2025.

In its latest statement, CBP said that the sustained decline in illegal border crossings and apprehensions shows the “profound impact” of immigration enforcement measures.

Commenting on the 13 straight months of zero border releases, CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott said: “This milestone, coupled with historically low illegal crossings, demonstrates our unwavering commitment to securing our nation. Our robust enforcement policies are working, and we are delivering unprecedented results in border security, drug interdiction, and trade enforcement.”

In late May, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to clamp down on attorneys who commit fraud while seeking asylum for their illegal immigrant clients.

DHS General Counsel James Percival said that for several years, millions of illegal immigrants have defrauded America’s immigration system.

“Thanks to this directive, ICE attorneys have greater authority to enforce the law and stop the abuse of our asylum system by illegal aliens and attorneys,” Percival said.

Immigration Agencies Funding

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump signed into law the Secure America Act on June 10, which provides Border Patrol and ICE almost $70 billion in funding through Sept. 30, 2029. The measure was passed by the House and Senate this month after several months of dispute between Democrats and Republicans.

In a June 16 statement, Human Rights Watch called on lawmakers to press for more transparency and accountability on immigration issues.

“The funding bill’s passage should not be the end of the debate. Congress should use its oversight authority to investigate patterns of abuse in immigration enforcement and detention and introduce reforms and accountability to prevent further abuses,” the group said.

“Congress should also press the administration to curb abusive enforcement practices, increase transparency around enforcement operations, improve medical care and conditions in custody, and pursue alternatives to detention.”

Democrat lawmakers said last month that illegal immigrants housed at ICE’s Delaney Hall detention facility in New Jersey were living under abusive conditions. DHS denied the accusations, saying the detainees receive three meals a day, clothing, clean water, bedding, medical care, phones, and lawyers. “In fact, ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens,” the department said.

Just a day prior to the Secure America Act’s passage in the House of Representatives, Patrick Yoes, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, sent a letter to the House, extending support for the bill and calling for quick action, according to a June 8 statement from the group.

The Secure America Act will enhance operational capabilities, support law enforcement personnel, and help ensure that “law enforcement has the resources and tools necessary to protect our communities,” the statement said.

The bill “will provide DHS and its law enforcement components with substantial multi-year funding to strengthen our nation’s defenses against illegal immigration, transnational criminal organizations, terrorists, and other threats to our country.”