politics
Border Patrol Reports Zero Direct Releases of Migrants in April as Apprehensions Continue to Fall
U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded 8,943 southwestern border apprehensions in April, a 94% decline from the Biden administration monthly average. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks announced his immediate resignation, citing the border's most secure state under President Trump.
May 15, 5:43 PM·2m read1 source
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The Trump administration marked one full year of zero releases at the southern border on Friday, according to the Department of Homeland Security. U.S. Interior after apprehension, Fox News reported. CBP recorded 8,943 southwestern border apprehensions in April.
Those figures were 94% lower than the Biden administration’s monthly average, 96% below the December 2023 peak and fewer than the number apprehended in just three days in April 2024.
The April daily average of apprehensions stood at 298, according to DHS. That figure was lower than a single hour during the height of the Biden-era surge, when Border Patrol averaged 336 apprehensions per hour in December 2023. Total encounters so far this fiscal year reached 215,876.
Those encounters are 13% lower than the total recorded in April 2024 alone. Nationwide seizures by weight of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl and marijuana increased 60% from April 2024. CBP seized 463 pounds of fentanyl in April and has seized 61% more drugs so far this fiscal year than during the same period in FY 2024.
Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks announced his immediate resignation. He stated he is leaving after bringing the border to its most secure state under the Trump administration. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the days of catch and release are over.
Mullin added that officials are enforcing the nation’s laws and sending illegal aliens back to their home countries. CBP Commissioner Rodney S. U.S. Border Patrol released zero illegal aliens into the country in April.
