White House Issues Border and Immigration Summary: Illegal Crossings Down 95% From Biden Era, Zero Border Patrol Releases in Fiscal 2026
The White House on October 20 released a summary of its border and immigration record, compiling enforcement figures and policy actions from President Trump's second term. The White House said illegal crossings at the southern border are down 95% from the Biden administration and that fiscal 2026 was the lowest year on record.
The release said more than 3 million migrants have left the country during this administration, including nearly 1.2 million deported or removed and nearly 1.3 million arrested, and that the illegal immigrant population has fallen by at least 2.3 million; net migration in 2025 was negative for the first time in at least 50 years. It said catch-and-release has ended, with zero releases at the border for 17 consecutive months and zero Border Patrol releases in all of fiscal 2026, the first such fiscal year on record; nationwide border encounters that year totaled under 380,000, compared with about 2.7 million a year under the Biden administration.
On asylum and immigration courts, the release said asylum admissions have been cut 99.9% and the asylum grant rate has fallen to 7%, from more than 50% under Biden; the immigration court backlog has dropped from more than 4.18 million cases to under 3.09 million.
On enforcement, the release said more than 12,100 gang members have been arrested, including more than 1,500 members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and nearly 2,000 MS-13 members; more than 2,200 known or suspected terrorists have been arrested, more than 2,000 of them removed. It said 287(g) agreements with state and local law enforcement now number more than 2,500; the Pentagon has established national defense areas in New Mexico and Texas; and the Laken Riley Act has been signed.
On drugs, the release said U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized nearly 1 million pounds of drugs in fiscal 2026, 63% above the average of the prior four years; the Coast Guard interdicted more than 624,000 pounds, including more than 260,000 pounds of cocaine under Operation Pacific Viper; fentanyl trafficking across the southern border is down 56%, fentanyl deaths are down 22%, and total overdose deaths are down more than 40% from their peak.
On barriers and legislation, the release said about 290 miles of border wall have been built, including 131 miles of primary wall, and $34.3 billion has been allocated for the Smart Wall; the Secure America Act, signed by Trump, provides $70 billion in homeland security funding for ICE and CBP, and the Working Families Tax Cuts provides a record $165 billion for border security; and the HALT Fentanyl Act permanently classifies fentanyl analogs as Schedule I substances. The release also listed restoration of the Remain in Mexico policy, termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 13 countries, a new $100,000 payment requirement for H-1B petitions, the $1 million Trump Gold Card, more than 300,000 visa revocations, and more than 157,000 unaccompanied children located.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：特朗普2018年3月在San Diego视察边境墙样段时与边境巡逻队人员握手（资料图），美国海关与边境保护局（CBP）官方图，公共领域。Photo: President Trump shakes hands with Border Patrol officers during a March 2018 visit to the border wall prototypes in San Diego (file photo). U.S. Customs and Border Protection photo, public domain.
