HISTORIC: Single Day Encounters at Southern Border Hit 15-Year Low 

Customs and Border Protection encountered a record-low number of illegal aliens at the southern border on Saturday, according to the Department of Homeland Security.  

Agents “encountered only 200 aliens at the U.S. southern border. That is the lowest number of apprehensions in a single day in over 15 years,” according to a statement from DHS.  

In February 2024, daily encounters of illegal aliens at the border averaged over 6,000. 

“Under President Donald Trump, the days of open borders are over,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement announcing the number.  

“President Trump and Secretary Noem have sent a clear message to illegal aliens: Do not come to our country,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “You will not be allowed in. And if you get in, we will hunt you down and deport you.” 

Just over a month into Trump’s presidency, thousands of illegal aliens, many of whom have criminal records, have been arrested and deported back to their home countries, including India, Venezuela, and Colombia.

During a recent interview on Newsmax, Noem credited the drop in encounters to Trump’s border policies, a clear message that the border is closed, and DHS ads being aired around the world that warn prospective migrants against attempting to cross the border illegally.  

“Let me be clear,” Noem says in the ad, “if you come to our country and you break our laws, we will hunt you down. Criminals are not welcome in the United States.” 

Noem’s message does not just apply to criminals. She warns all individuals seeking to come to the U.S. that “if you try to enter illegally, you will be caught. You will be removed, and you will never return. Follow the law, and you’ll find opportunity.”  

Trump made border and immigration issues a pillar of his 2024 presidential campaign, and recent polling indicates Americans are pleased with the Trump administration’s actions on the issue.  

Among U.S. voters, 63% approve of Trump’s deportation efforts while 33% strongly oppose the effort, according to a recent poll conducted by the Napolitan News Service. The survey also found that 70% of U.S. voters think legal immigration is a positive for the country but believe illegal immigration is harmful to the nation.