Border Encounters Drop By More Than a Third In First Days Of Trump Administration: Report

Unlawful border encounters at the southern border have dropped sharply during the first days of the Trump administration compared to the final Biden days, Department of Homeland Security officials told Fox News.

Concretely, the amount of encounters during the first three days of the Trump administration (2,523) is 35% lower than figures seen during the last three days of Joe Biden's government (3,908). The figure, the outlet specified, does not include encounters at the northern border or lawful ports of entry.

These first numbers come as Trump is making of immigration enforcement a priority during the first days of his administration. He has declared a national emergency at the southern border and deployed some 1,500 active duty troops to the area. The figure could go as high as 10,000, according to internal memos reported by CBS News.

The federal government has also reportedly instructed U.S. border agents to immediately deport migrants crossing the southern border without granting them asylum hearings.

Hours after his inauguration, President Trump invoked his presidential powers to bar the entry of migrants he deemed part of an "invasion" or a public health or national security risk. Citing Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, Trump invoked his constitutional authority to prevent the entry of individuals deemed harmful to U.S. interests, including migrants crossing the southern border, CBS News reported.

Internal documents and agency officials told the outlet that the new policy was being applied in Texas, with nearly all migrants arriving in the area subject to immediate expulsion. The directive also extends to U.S. border sectors in Florida and along the U.S.-Canada border, where Canadian authorities are being asked to accept those who cross illegally.

Trump is also seeking to expand deportation powers to a plethora of federal agents to help these operations happen swiftly. In a new memo obtained by The Wall Street Journal and sent by acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman, the DHS grants immigration-enforcement authority to several agencies at the Justice Department, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service.

In a recent interview with the Latin Times, border security expert Dr. Victor Manjarrez Jr., a former Customs and Border Protection (CBP) chief, Trump's most effective tool to deter unlawful immigration during his first term was the cheapest: "what people perceived as a potential consequence of illegal entry."