U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics provided to Breitbart Texas show that total apprehensions at the southwest border in May were lower than the single-day rates at the peak of the Biden border crisis. As Border Patrol apprehensions remain under 10,000 for the month, CBP tells Breitbart the release of illegal aliens at the border to pursue asylum remains at zero for the 13th consecutive month.
Tough border security measures enacted by the Trump administration kept monthly illegal border crossing apprehensions at unprecedented levels, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “Thirteen straight months of ZERO releases at the border,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin commented proudly on the milestone. “Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, we are delivering the most secure border in American history.”
“The days of catch and release are over,” Secretary Mullin added. In sharp contrast to estimates showing up to 85 percent or more of illegal aliens apprehended at the border in peak months of the Biden administration were set free into the United States, “We are enforcing the nation’s laws and quickly sending illegal aliens back to their home countries, ensuring the safety and sovereignty of our nation.”
The historically low border crossing and apprehension numbers, not seen in more than three decades, are the result of the Trump administration’s strict border security measures and are impacting other important metrics at the border.
Southwest border apprehensions in May (9,998) were 94 percent lower than the monthly average during the Biden administration. The comparison is more dramatic than to peak months during the previous administration, as May arrests along the southwest border fell by 96 percent.
The Border Patrol’s average number of apprehensions per day along the southwest border in May was calculated by CBP at 323 — far fewer than the number of arrests in a single hour during the peak days of the Biden administration. As reported by Breitbart Texas, approximately 17,000 illegal aliens were arrested during a five-day period in 2023 in just one border sector.
According to CBP, the low border crossing numbers allow the agency to focus on counter-drug enforcement strategies that have resulted in a significant increase in narcotic seizures. The seizures are robbing international cartels, some of whom have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations, of much-valued profits and operational capital. The removal of illicit fentanyl from the streets is also helping to sustain a reduction in overdose deaths.
CBP is reporting that, just in the month of May, nationwide seizures of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana (combined, by weight) increased 32 percent from May 2024. Fentanyl seizures for May 2026 climbed 72 percent from April.
In addition to an increase of 61 percent in marijuana seizures for May compared to the monthly average during fiscal year 2024 under the Biden administration, 56 percent more illicit narcotics have been seized by CBP when compared to the same period during fiscal year 2024.
The latest numbers underscore a dramatic reversal from the peak of the Biden‑era border crisis, when hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens were released into the country every month and cartels operated with near impunity. Today, with zero releases for 13 months and record narcotics seizures, CBP says it is finally able to do the job it was designed to do: secure the border, disrupt cartel profits, and protect American communities.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.