Border apprehensions drop 94% after DHS ends Biden's 'catch and release' program

Border apprehensions at the southern border fell 94 percent in April compared to the monthly average under the Biden administration, according to figures from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The reason is that the Trump administration has essentially stopped the flow of migrants across the US border.

US Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol announced last week that agents had gone an entire year without releasing illegal immigrants directly into the country after apprehending them at the border. Officials recorded 8,943 apprehensions at the southwest border in April, which DHS said marked one of the lowest monthly totals in decades.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said last week that “the days of catch and release are over.” The Trump administration has pointed to expanded ICE operations, tighter asylum restrictions, and increased interior immigration enforcement asd key reasons for the sharp decline.

DHS figures state that more than 3 million illegal immigrants have either left or been deported from the US during the first year of Trump’s second term. According to the department, roughly 2.2 million of those departures were classified as “self-deportations.” The administration has promoted voluntary departures through its CBP Home app, which allows migrants to leave the country and receive travel assistance and financial support in doing so. The program is said to cost much less than traditional deportations.

DHS also said nearly 900,000 illegal immigrants have been deported as of May 17. 

"In President Trump’s first year back in office, more than 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S. because of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration including an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations," a DHS spokesperson told Fox News.