President Donald Trump's Department of Justice filed more than 6,200 immigration prosecutions in June and oversaw over 65,000 deportations in 100 days, Blaze Media reported.
The Trump administration has shattered records in prosecuting illegal immigration offenses. According to The Washington Times, Justice filed 3,200 prosecutions for illegal entry and over 3,000 for illegal reentry — targeting individuals previously deported who tried to cross into the U.S. again.
The aggressive prosecution strategy is part of a broader crackdown by the Department of Justice and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which removed 65,682 illegal immigrants in the first 100 days of Trump's second term. Nearly 75% of those arrested had criminal records, including assault, DUI, and weapons offenses.
"These cases have a very high rate of conviction," said Jonathan Fahey, former acting ICE director. "They're a great way to get a conviction, a great way to get a criminal off the street, and a great way to remove them from the country in an expeditious way."
The numbers represent a significant departure from the Biden administration, under which prosecution rates for illegal entry rarely exceeded 1%. In contrast, illegal entry cases under Trump in June alone made up more than half of Border Patrol arrests, setting a new benchmark for enforcement.
The Austin American-Statesman reported that 7,660 illegal reentry cases were filed in the first quarter of 2025, up from 4,312 in the same period in 2024 and 3,670 in 2023.
Andrew "Art" Arthur, a former immigration judge, said that criminal prosecution creates a strong deterrent.
"If I get deported, I get deported. I go back and try again. But when it comes to prosecutions, now you've got a federal conviction. ... If you're coming here illegally to live and work, being in a federal penitentiary for two years isn't going to allow you to do that," he said.
The crackdown has significantly reduced border traffic.
U.S. Border Patrol encountered 6,070 illegal immigrants in June, a 15% drop from March and the lowest monthly total ever recorded. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, said on X in early July, "The total number of encounters is less than half of a single day under Biden on many days. Also, none of the 6,070 were released into the U.S.- ZERO."
The White House noted that "got-aways" — those who illegally cross the border undetected — fell by 90% compared with June of last year. Officials say the country is on pace for the fewest illegal immigrant encounters in five decades.
"We removed over 65,000 illegal aliens to countries across the world," said Todd M. Lyons, ICE acting director.
"Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE is using every tool at its disposal to enforce our country's immigration laws and protect our communities."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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