Illegal Border Crossings Drop 40 Percent In Trump’s First Full Month As PresidentPresident Trump is making good on his promises to protect our borders and return this nation to the rule of law. The number of illegal immigrants crossing into the United States from Mexico declined by 40 percent from January to February, the Department of Homeland Security Secretary said late Wednesday.
The downturn came after President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20 vowing to deport many of the estimated 11 million illegals in the United States.
The flow of illegal border crossings – measured by apprehensions and the prevention of ‘inadmissible persons’ apprehended at the southern border by U.S. Customs and Border Protection – dropped to 18,762 in February from 31,578 in January, DHS Secretary John Kelly said in a statement.
He said CBP, which compiled the data, historically sees a 10 percent to 20 percent increase in apprehensions of illegal immigrants from January to February.
On Jan. 25, Trump ordered the construction of a wall along the roughly 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, moved to strip federal funding from ‘sanctuary’ states and cities that harbor illegal immigrants, and expanded the force of U.S. immigration agents.
‘Since the administration’s implementation of Executive Orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years,’ Kelly said.
‘The drop in apprehensions shows a marked change in trends,’ said Kelly. Trump took office January 20.
He stressed that the sharp decline means fewer people are taking the huge risk of putting their fate in the hands of human traffickers.
‘Early results show that enforcement matters, deterrence matters, and that comprehensive immigration enforcement can make an impact,’ said Kelly, one of Trumps’ closest allies on tightening border security and on the president’s controversial pledge to build a wall there.