- Jun 24, 2025
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For over a year now, the U.S. Border Patrol has not released a single apprehended individual into the country's interior, according to figures covering through May 2026. U.S. Customs and Border Protection along with the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the milestone, calling it part of a broader pattern of historically low activity along the southwestern boundary. Officials say every person detained is now being processed under existing legal frameworks and removed rather than being freed while awaiting court dates.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin put a fine point on it, saying the streak of thirteen consecutive months without releases reflects what he described as the most secure border in the nation's history under President Trump. Mullin declared that the old catch and release model is finished, adding that the administration is focused on rapid removal of those who cross illegally while prioritizing sovereignty and public safety.
The raw apprehension figures tell a striking story on their own. During May 2026, Border Patrol agents encountered 9,998 people along the southwest border. That total reflects a 94% drop compared to the monthly average under the previous administration. It also represents a 96% decline from the highest monthly totals recorded in earlier years. To put it in perspective, the entire month of May 2026 saw fewer apprehensions than just three days produced in May 2024. The daily average stood at 323, which officials noted was 94% below the prior administration's average and actually lower than the hourly rates observed during peak periods. Looking at the fiscal year through May 2026, apprehensions along the southwest border were running 26% below the historic monthly averages spanning fiscal years 1992 through 2024.
These numbers stand in sharp contrast to what occurred during the Biden Administration, when monthly encounter totals regularly exceeded 200,000. During that era, tens of thousands of individuals were released into the interior every month. One particularly notable stretch was April 2024, when roughly 90,000 people were released. By comparison, recent monthly apprehension totals have hovered between around 6,000 and just under 10,000, reflecting a fundamentally different enforcement posture.
Beyond immigration enforcement, drug interdiction efforts also showed notable progress in May 2026. Nationwide seizures of illegal substances, including cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana, climbed 32% by weight when measured against May 2024. Fentanyl seizures jumped 72%, totaling 795 pounds for the month. On the marijuana front, the average monthly haul over the prior four months was 37,033 pounds. When looking at the full fiscal year through May 2026, total drug seizures were 56% higher than during the equivalent window in fiscal year 2024.
Administration officials have pointed to all of these trends, both the plummeting crossing numbers and the growing volume of drug seizures, as evidence that their strategic approach to border security is producing tangible results. Whether this pace of enforcement can be sustained remains to be seen, but the data through May 2026 paints a picture of a dramatically different situation than what existed just two years ago.
Continue reading the full news article: Thirteen Months With No Interior Releases at the Border, and What the Numbers Actually Show
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin put a fine point on it, saying the streak of thirteen consecutive months without releases reflects what he described as the most secure border in the nation's history under President Trump. Mullin declared that the old catch and release model is finished, adding that the administration is focused on rapid removal of those who cross illegally while prioritizing sovereignty and public safety.
The raw apprehension figures tell a striking story on their own. During May 2026, Border Patrol agents encountered 9,998 people along the southwest border. That total reflects a 94% drop compared to the monthly average under the previous administration. It also represents a 96% decline from the highest monthly totals recorded in earlier years. To put it in perspective, the entire month of May 2026 saw fewer apprehensions than just three days produced in May 2024. The daily average stood at 323, which officials noted was 94% below the prior administration's average and actually lower than the hourly rates observed during peak periods. Looking at the fiscal year through May 2026, apprehensions along the southwest border were running 26% below the historic monthly averages spanning fiscal years 1992 through 2024.
These numbers stand in sharp contrast to what occurred during the Biden Administration, when monthly encounter totals regularly exceeded 200,000. During that era, tens of thousands of individuals were released into the interior every month. One particularly notable stretch was April 2024, when roughly 90,000 people were released. By comparison, recent monthly apprehension totals have hovered between around 6,000 and just under 10,000, reflecting a fundamentally different enforcement posture.
Beyond immigration enforcement, drug interdiction efforts also showed notable progress in May 2026. Nationwide seizures of illegal substances, including cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana, climbed 32% by weight when measured against May 2024. Fentanyl seizures jumped 72%, totaling 795 pounds for the month. On the marijuana front, the average monthly haul over the prior four months was 37,033 pounds. When looking at the full fiscal year through May 2026, total drug seizures were 56% higher than during the equivalent window in fiscal year 2024.
Administration officials have pointed to all of these trends, both the plummeting crossing numbers and the growing volume of drug seizures, as evidence that their strategic approach to border security is producing tangible results. Whether this pace of enforcement can be sustained remains to be seen, but the data through May 2026 paints a picture of a dramatically different situation than what existed just two years ago.
Continue reading the full news article: Thirteen Months With No Interior Releases at the Border, and What the Numbers Actually Show