Dec. 5 (UPI) — Illegal border crossings along the southern border’s Big Bend Sector in Texas have dropped by nearly three-quarters in the last two years, the Trump administration said Friday.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that the 517-mile Big Bend Sector has seen apprehensions along the border decline to 3,096 in fiscal year 2025 from 11,823 in fiscal year 2023 — a massive 74% decline in people attempting to illegally cross from Mexico into the United States.
“The decrease in illegal entries is a testament to strong border policy, as well as the tireless efforts of our agents, support personnel and partners like the Department of Defense and Texas Military Department,” Lloyd M. Easterling, the Big Bend Sector’s chief patrol agent, said in a statement.
“The men and women of Big Bend Sector have shown resolve, expertise and heart. They conduct their border security mission with great skill while operating in some of the most rugged terrain in the country,” Easterling said.
Overall, nationwide border encounters have decreased significantly, with CBP data showing that in October of this year there were 30,573 encounters, compared with 142,742 last October. Nationwide, there were just under 10,000 apprehensions at border entry points, the agency reported.
“Decisive border security policies and enhanced detection and identification capabilities have contributed to a decline in illegal border crossings,” CBP said in the statement.
In the case of the Big Bend Sector, officials pointed not only to expanded enforcement authorities and the end of previous catch-and-release policies, but to the deployment of additional autonomous surveillance towers and other detection capabilities.
The Trump administration has been conducting an immigration crackdown across the country since President Donald Trump was inaugurated for his second term in the White House in January.
Aside from the northern and southern border, the administration has conducted enforcement actions in some of the biggest cities in the country, sending border patrol agents to Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte and, most recently, New Orleans, among others.
On Wednesday, the State Department also expanded a Biden-era visa-restriction program against private-sector transportation providers knowingly facilitating illegal immigration.
The measure permits the department to revoke or deny visas to foreign government officials and other individuals deemed responsible for facilitating illegal immigration.
