Illegal border crossings are down 99% in less than four months under President Donald Trump, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
CBP Acting Commissioner Pete Flores, during an appropriations hearing Thursday, also told lawmakers the main passageway to the U.S.-Mexico border has seen traffic drop 99.5%, the Washington Examiner reported.
“Traditional migrant corridors are seeing historically low numbers,” Flores said, according to his statement provided to the Homeland Security subcommittee. “For example, the number of migrants passing through the Darien Gap in Panama decreased 99.5% from 36,841 in March 2024 to 194 in March of 2025.”
The Examiner added that Flores planned to tell members the crisis of the crime gang “coyotes,” who transport children across the border, essentially has ended.
“Starting Jan. 21, 2025, immigration processing actions at ports of entry decreased by 99% compared to the same time frame in 2024,” Flores said, according to his statement provided to the Homeland Security subcommittee.
“Office of Field Operations saw a 93% decrease in inadmissibility encounters at southwest border ports of entry, including a 94% decrease in unaccompanied alien children.”
Flores, who said the Trump administration is working hard to construct new barriers at the southern border, added that drug trafficking across the border is down but continues to happen.
The Examiner reported that Flores’ remarks suggested migrants have received Trump’s message that the border is closed to illegal aliens and pointed to the assistance from Latin American allies in dealing with the migrant crisis.
NBC News reported CBP data shows that unauthorized crossings at the southern border have plummeted, with little more than 12,000 attempted in April.
Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported tighter controls by the U.S. and Mexico, along with Trump’s moves to shut down legal immigration pathways, has brought migrant crossings to all but a standstill.