Border Arrests Plummet 39 In January In An Early Gauge Of Trump's Immigration Policies

Arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico plummeted 39 in January from a month earlier, authorities said Tuesday, an early gauge of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

The Border Patrol made 21,593 arrests during the month, down from 47,316 in December and the lowest mark since May 2020 near the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

"Call it the Trump Effect," the White House said in a statement.

Border arrests fell sharply well before Trump took office from an all-time high of 250,000 in December 2023. Mexican authorities increased enforcement within their own borders and then-President Joe Biden introduced severe asylum restrictions in June.

Arrests sank even further after Trump was sworn in on Jan. 20 and issued a slew of orders on immigration, including one to suspend asylum on grounds that the United States is under "invasion" at the southern border.