President Trump’s stringent measures have led to a significant decrease in the number of illegal migrants successfully crossing the border undetected. Border agents are now identifying an average of 77 “gotaways” per day, a stark contrast to the peak of over 1,800 daily detections during the border crisis under the Biden administration. Utilizing surveillance tools such as cameras, agents are monitoring border crossings closely.
Between October 2022 and September 2023, over 670,000 illegal migrants managed to evade capture and enter the country. A Border Patrol insider revealed that the objective now is to achieve zero apprehensions and zero gotaways. Despite the improved numbers, some migrants continue to slip through undetected, pointing to gaps in reporting.
Since President Trump’s return, Border Patrol has recorded 5,889 gotaways across all US borders, while apprehensions at the southern border have plummeted to historic lows. Acting Commissioner Pete Flores credited Trump’s border security initiatives for the decline, emphasizing the end of the controversial “catch and release” policy.
In response to the dwindling migration levels, closing Border Patrol processing facilities has been on the agenda. Meanwhile, ICE has been conducting widespread deportation operations nationwide, resulting in over 32,000 arrests under Trump’s administration. The agency is facing capacity constraints due to the surge in deportations.
