CBP Records Zero Illegal Border Releases for 8th Consecutive Month

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported zero parole releases along the southwest border in December 2025, compared to 7,041 releases registered under the prior administration in December 2024, according to a Jan. 16 statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Parole releases refer to being temporarily released into the country after being captured by Border Patrol rather than being detained or removed immediately. According to the latest numbers, CBP has “recorded its lowest encounter totals ever to start a fiscal year.”

In Fiscal Year 2026, which started on Oct. 1, 2025, there were 21,815 apprehensions along the southwest border, the lowest ever in the first quarter of a fiscal year, the agency stated, noting that this was 95 percent lower than the first-quarter average under the Biden administration.

As for illegal crossings, there were 30,698 total encounters nationwide in December 2025—92 percent lower than the monthly peak of the prior administration, which was 370,883. The recent figures are also the lowest encounters ever for a month of December.

There were 6,478 Border Patrol apprehensions on the southwest border in December 2025, which the DHS stated was 96 percent lower than the monthly average during the Biden administration and fewer than four days’ worth of apprehensions in December 2024.

“Thanks to President [Donald] Trump’s leadership and the dedication of DHS law enforcement, America’s borders are safer than any time in our nation’s history,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said. “What President Trump and our CBP agents and officers have been able to do in a single year is nothing short of extraordinary.”

Trump issued the “Securing Our Borders” executive order immediately upon assuming office on Jan. 20, 2025.

“One of my most important obligations is to protect the American people from the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement,” Trump said in the order, which includes terminating “all categorical parole programs that are contrary to the policies of the United States.”

Tariff Collection, Drug Interdictions

The DHS also released figures from CBP’s tariff collections and drug interdictions.

Since the Trump administration assumed power on Jan. 20, 2025, and through Dec. 31, 2025, the CBP has collected $297 billion in tariffs, taxes, and fees. The agency processed $314 billion of imports in December 2025 and identified $28.4 billion in duties owed.

Nationwide, CBP seized 39,030 pounds of illicit drugs last month, which included 865 pounds of fentanyl, 12,833 pounds of methamphetamine, 3,793 pounds of cocaine, and 164 pounds of heroin.

This comes as the U.S. Coast Guard reported a major haul of illegal drugs in 2025.

“Over the past year, the Coast Guard seized 554,000 pounds of illegal narcotics, interdicted 11,173 illegal aliens, saved 4,946 lives, saved or assisted over $974 million in property, and ensured the safe movement of 1.8 billion tons of maritime cargo—measurable outcomes across border control, flow of commerce, and contingency response,” the agency stated in a Jan. 15 post on X.