No Illegal Immigrants Released at Southern Border in 15 Months: CBP

U.S. Border Patrol in July released zero illegal immigrants from the southern border into the United States for the 15th straight month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in an Aug. 13 statement.

Illegal crossings last month remained “historically low,” CBP said. Apprehensions of illegal immigrants by Border Patrol along the southwest border in July were 94 percent lower than the monthly average under the prior administration.

The number of illegal immigrants apprehended in the current fiscal year through July is lower than the average of just a single month between fiscal years 1992 and 2024.

“Again this month, the results are clear: President Trump’s border security agenda is restoring order and putting the safety of the American people first,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in the statement.

“DHS remains focused on enforcing our immigration laws, securing the border, and ensuring those who enter our country illegally are removed swiftly.”

According to the CBP, the continued decline in border crossings and apprehensions reflects the impact of “robust enforcement policies.”

CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott credited clear policies, strong enforcement, and the work of frontline personnel for delivering positive results at America’s borders.

CBP data show there were 103,028 enforcement encounters at the southwest land border between October 2025 and June this year.

In the entirety of fiscal year 2025, there were a total of 443,671 encounters, less than the more than 2 million encounters registered in each of the previous two fiscal years under the prior administration.

According to Border Patrol’s 2025–2029 Strategy report, the agency’s plan to tackle illegal immigrants includes expanding physical infrastructure, such as checkpoints, barriers, and permanent towers, across all regions of the United States.

The strategy details plans to deploy advanced autonomous surveillance systems in order to detect and identify illegal immigrants.

While Border Patrol works to counter the inflow of illegal immigrants in the country, the agency’s workforce has seen strong growth.

In June, the CBP said that 21,471 Border Patrol agents were serving on America’s front lines, the highest number in the agency’s 102-year history. CBP credited the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump last year, for fueling “increased applicant interest” as well as enabling the agency to attract top talent.

Illegal Immigrant Crackdown

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is cracking down on criminal illegal immigrants across the country.

In an Aug. 7 statement, ICE said it arrested more than 1,200 illegal immigrants across Georgia under Operation Safe Community—Atlanta, which targeted people with criminal histories, including charges of aggravated assault, sex crimes, assault and battery, and crimes against children.

“Removing these criminal alien offenders from Georgia neighborhoods makes for much safer communities,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations acting Assistant Director Patricia Hyde said in the statement.

ICE said on July 14 that its Harlingen division arrested 238 illegal immigrants in a single day, setting a record for Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. Among the arrested were alleged criminals with convictions for sexual battery, attempted kidnapping, and drug possession.

The Trump administration is also imposing heavy fines on illegal immigrants. In a July 23 statement, DHS said that more than $84 billion in civil fines have been imposed on such individuals. This includes a $998-per-day charge levied on any illegal immigrant who does not leave the country despite a final order for removal.

A group of Democratic lawmakers criticized the fines, accusing the Trump administration of improperly using immigration penalties to “intimidate law-abiding immigrants,” according to a July 20 statement from the office of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).

In a July 17 letter to DHS and DOJ officials, the lawmakers said that in assessing fines against illegal immigrants, the departments “appear to have abandoned critical safeguards that have long prevented law-abiding immigrants from being improperly targeted with unreasonable penalties.”

In June 2025, when DHS announced streamlining the process for fining illegal immigrants, then-DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin justified the need for such fines.

“The law doesn’t enforce itself; there must be consequences for breaking it,” McLaughlin said in a statement at the time.