There Were Less Than 8,500 Border Crossings In February ; It's The Lowest In Recorded History

Customs and Border Protection informed that there were fewer than 8,500 border crossings in February, the lowest amount for any month in recorded history.

The concrete figure was 8,347, a 94% drop compared to the same month of last year. It was comprised by a little over 2,100 in El Paso, 1,650 in San Diego and 1,285 in the Rio Grande Valley. Yuma, Arizona, saw 243 crossings and El Centro, in California, 162.

"President Trump and Secretary Noem have sent a clear message, if you cross the border illegally, you will be deported without the possibility of trying it again the next day or in a few hours," CBP said in a statement. "As a result, the number of encounters between CBP and undocumented migrants have decreased drastically."

The figure had already been anticipated by the White House earlier this month, with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem saying that "the world is hearing our message: do not come to our country illegally." "If you do, we will find you, arrest you, and send you back," she added.

Trump echoed the figure on his social media platform, Truth Social, adding that those encountered by agents were "quickly ejected" from the U.S. and in some cases, "prosecuted for crimes against the United States of America."

CBS News had anticipated that, should the figure be confirmed, the amount of apprehensions in February would be the lowest monthly tally recorded by Border Patrol since at least fiscal year 2000, the last period with public monthly data. Since 2000, the only time apprehensions in a single month came close to the 8,000 threshold was in April 2017, when Border Patrol made 11,000.

The Trump administration, however, is moving slower than intended when it comes to deporting people already living in the U.S. unlawfully. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data showed that 11,000 people were forcibly removed from the U.S. during the first full month of Donald Trump in office.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced new leadership posts at ICE this week after both President Donald Trump and border czar Tom Homan expressed frustration with the pace of deportations.