WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it has released no illegal aliens into the country in May, marking a staggering drop from more than 62,000 that USBP was forced to release along the southwest border during the same period last year.
In May 2025, the Border Patrol encountered 8,725 illegal aliens crossing the southwest border between ports of entry. This was a 93 percent decrease from May 2024 when USBP encountered 117,905 aliens. Encounter numbers continue to hold at historic lows, reflecting a border that is more secure, controlled, and hitting unprecedented levels of operational success, CBP said in its operational statistics for May 2025.
'Border numbers continue to trend at historic lows, reinforcing the sustained success of our enforcement efforts in securing the homeland and protecting American communities', said Pete Flores, Acting Commissioner of CBP.'
CBP's total number of encounters nationwide, including at ports of entry, averaged approximately 952 per day in May 2025. This was the second lowest average daily number of CBP encounters in history.
In May, CBP seized 718 pounds of fentanyl. Cocaine seizures increased by 19 percent and heroin seizures increased 191 percent from April.
CBP said it interdicted illicit cargo that was hidden in some shipments.
In May, CBP stopped 132 shipments valued at more than $4.5 million for further examination based on suspected use of forced labor from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.
Last month, CBP had seized 2,973 shipments that contained more than 3.2 million counterfeit goods valued at more than $317 million.
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