Arrests for unauthorized crossings at the U.S. southern border have fallen more than 93% from a peak during Joe Biden’s presidency, France 24 reported, showing the scale of the shift in border activity.
Preliminary figures from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) put southwest-border apprehensions at 98,708 in fiscal 2026. The agencies said the count was 95% below the Biden administration comparison they used.
The percentages use different benchmarks. France 24 measured the decline from a peak during Biden’s presidency; DHS and CBP compared their fiscal 2026 count with a separate Biden administration benchmark.
Border restrictions were one of President Donald Trump’s major promises during the 2024 campaign. Reporting from California, France 24 described tighter border security and the threat of immigration raids as deterrents to unauthorized crossings.
Apprehension totals are narrower than all unauthorized crossings. CBP’s historical series records 62,640 southwest-border apprehensions in fiscal 1966 and 73,973 in fiscal 1967, both below the fiscal 2026 figure. The historical comparison was noted in earlier EconoTimes coverage of the federal figures.
