The Department of Homeland Security announced this week that for the tenth consecutive month the agency has not released a single illegal alien apprehended at the southern border into American communities.
DHS officials declared the achievement represents a complete reversal from former President Joe Biden's expansive catch and release policy that saw millions of illegal aliens released from the border during his tenure.
"Ten straight months of zero illegal aliens released at the border. President Trump promised to secure the Border, and that is a promise we delivered," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said. "We have the most secure border in American history. Our borders are closed to lawbreakers."
The administration also marked the 13th consecutive month where fewer than 9,000 illegal border crossers were captured at the southern border. This figure represents a 95 percent decline in border apprehensions compared with levels recorded during the Biden administration.
On the first day of his second term, Trump signed ten executive orders designed to drastically reduce illegal immigration. Among these orders was a declaration of national emergency at the border that authorized the full weight of federal government resources to combat human smuggling and drug trafficking operations run by Mexican cartels.
The dramatic turnaround demonstrates what can be accomplished when an administration prioritizes enforcement over accommodation. Under Biden, the border became a processing center for mass migration into American communities. Under Trump, it has become what the administration intended all along, an actual barrier to unlawful entry.
Closing the border represents an essential first step but securing the homeland requires far more ambitious reforms that Congress has refused to deliver. An America First immigration agenda demands the repeal of chain migration policies that allow single arrivals to sponsor endless relatives, the abolition of birthright citizenship that incentivizes illegal entry, and a comprehensive immigration moratorium that gives American workers and communities time to absorb decades of mass migration. The border may finally be closed to new arrivals but the structural incentives that drove the crisis remain embedded in law and will produce future waves unless lawmakers summon the courage to dismantle them entirely.
