Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday that apprehensions of illegals over the weekend at the southern border marked the lowest in 15 years.
Noem took to X to announce that Customs and Border Protection "encountered just 200 aliens" on Saturday.
"That's the lowest single apprehension day in over 15 years. Thank you to President @realDonaldTrump and our brave men & women of @CBP," she wrote.
Encounters have plummeted since President Donald Trump took office. He vowed to close the border on day one of his administration and did via executive orders.
Further, the Pentagon deployed 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern border earlier this month, bringing the total to 3,600. The soldiers were charged with the placement of physical barriers, providing transportation and intelligence support and other assistance to the U.S. Border Patrol.
In Arizona, it was reported that Border Patrol agents were installing concertina wire to reinforce sections of the southern border wall near ports of entry. An additional 14 miles of concertina wire had been installed on top of both primary and secondary fencing along the Arizona-Mexico border.
Border Patrol agents in Arizona reported 5,620 encounters, with people crossing between ports of entry. That's 10 times fewer than the same month a year earlier, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The Pentagon last week also announced that the U.S. and Mexico had agreed to conduct coordinated military patrols on their respective side of the border, increase information sharing, and improve communication methods to bolster border security.
As a result, migrant shelters in Texas that previously housed nearly 1,000 people a day at the height of the border crisis were almost empty earlier this month, with some expected to close.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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