Donald Trump Administration Border Policy

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem declared Friday that the U.S. border is the "most secure" in the nation’s history, pointing to newly released Customs and Border Protection data showing an eighth straight month of zero parole releases and what CBP calls record‑low encounter numbers. According to CBP, total nationwide encounters from October through December 2025 fell to 91,603 — the lowest first‑quarter total on record — with December encounters at 30,698, a 92% drop from the Biden‑era monthly peak of 370,883. Along the southwest border, Border Patrol reported 21,815 apprehensions for the first quarter of FY 2026 and 6,478 in December, numbers the agency says are roughly 95–96% below averages under the prior administration. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said agents have set a "new standard" for border security, while Noem credited President Trump’s policies and highlighted that CBP seized 39,030 pounds of illicit drugs in December. The administration’s sweeping "most secure" claim, based solely on its preferred metrics, will feed an election‑year fight over whether sharply lower apprehension and parole figures reflect genuine control of the border or simply a different mix of enforcement tools and humanitarian policies that remain contested and only partly transparent.