Illegal border crossings are down 94% under the new Trump administration.
Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks revealed the astonishing figure in an interview with CBS News, and attributed it to the Trump administration’s no-nonsense approach to immigration.
“The greater the punishment, the larger the deterrent,” Banks said.
Banks said that Border Patrol are now detaining an average of less than 300 migrants a day, compared to 4,800 apprehensions a day during the same period last year. The majority of migrants apprehended by the Biden administration were subsequently released into the US.
He added that only two migrants have been released from detention since Trump took office, in both cases to serve as witnesses in a criminal prosecution.
Trump’s executive order to end catch and release and the reinstitution of the “remain in Mexico” policy have been pivotal in driving down border crossings, Banks said.
“You do not cross the border illegally and then make an asylum claim. You can go to the port of entry, or you can visit one of your country’s embassies to submit your asylum request.”