The Trump Administration has had a historic year in its fight for border control and against illegal immigration. Such is what was revealed in a press release promulgated on Friday, December 19 by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has managed to break some major records in its fight to keep Americans safe and secure from illegal immigration.
For reference, the Trump Administration has made the fight against illegal immigration its key selling point and policy plank. While other issues, such as the somewhat depressed state of the economy or legal immigration involving H-1Bs, have proven more intractible, it has managed to get a good grip on the illegal immigration issue, and so is cheering it as a major win.
Such is the message pushed by the DHS in the press release. It announced that the accomplishments seen in these first 11 months of the second Trump presidency have made it “one of the most consequential periods of action and reform in American history.”
Then, after providing some broad-stroke comments about the various initiatives engaged in, DHS hit some of the highlights of its work this year. It noted, for example, “In President Trump’s first year back in office, more than 2.5 million illegal aliens have left the U.S. because of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, including an estimated 1.9 million self-deportations and more than 622,000 deportations.”
Continuing, it described the crackdown on fentanyl smuggling and the trafficking of other illegal narcotics, noting, “Since President Trump took office, fentanyl trafficking at the southern border has been cut down by half compared to the same period in 2024. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) alone has seized enough cocaine to kill more than 177 million Americans.”
Adding to that, it noted how efficiency has been a priority and billions of dollars have been saved despite the department’s expanded operations, saying, “Meanwhile, the Trump administration has saved taxpayers more than $13.2 billion at DHS and returned key agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Secret Service back to their core missions.”
Turning to some other specific wins at the border, the press release noted that DHS has been so effective that “Border crossings are down 93% year-over-year”, “Illegal alien apprehensions at the southwest border are down to an average of 245 per day”, and “From May to November, seven consecutive months, the United States Border Patrol (USBP) released ZERO illegal aliens into the country.”
"*" indicates required fields
It also noted “Under the Trump administration, there have been 73,329 total apprehensions along the southwest border, which is 53% less than the monthly average of 155,485 during the Biden administration” and “USBP nationwide apprehensions have averaged under 10,000 per month since President Trump took office – a level of sustained deterrence unmatched in modern border history.”
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, commenting on the wins, explained, “In less than a year, President Trump has delivered some of the most historic and consequential achievements in presidential history—and this Administration is just getting started.”
She added, “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are making America safe again and putting the American people first. In record-time we have secured the border, taken the fight to cartels, and arrested thousands upon thousands of criminal illegal aliens. Though 2025 was historic, we won’t rest until the job is done.”
Watch Noem comment on the importance of defending the border here: