The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have announced preliminary data for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, reporting the lowest total number of U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions since 1970.
The final FY 2025 total for Southwest Border apprehensions stood at 237,565, marking a 55-year low. This figure is 87 percent below the average of 1.86 million recorded over the previous four fiscal years.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem attributed the historic low to the current administration’s success in “restoring control at the border.”
“We have had the most secure border in American history, and our end-of-year numbers prove it,” Secretary Noem stated. “Under President Trump, we have empowered and supported our law enforcement to do their job, and they have delivered.”
According to the DHS, 72 percent of the total FY 2025 apprehensions—172,026—occurred during the first 111 days of the fiscal year under the previous administration. The current administration, which took over for the remaining 254 days, recorded 65,539 apprehensions, accounting for just 27 percent of the year’s total.
Enforcement statistics for September 2025 showed sharp declines, with a daily average of 279 Southwest Border apprehensions. This daily average represents a 95 percent decrease compared to the previous administration’s daily average of 5,110 from February 2021 through December 2024.
Additionally, September 2025 marked the fifth consecutive month with zero releases by the Border Patrol along the Southwest border. In September 2024, 9,144 releases were recorded.
Across the nation, encounters in September 2025 were also down, totaling 26,000, a slight decrease from 26,191 in August 2025 and 89 percent lower than the monthly average under the last administration.
The DHS noted that full, finalized reports with end-of-fiscal-year numbers will be released in the coming weeks.
During the Biden administration, approximately 9,000 Nepalis were recorded in USBP encounters. In comparison, under the previous Trump administration, 1,850 Nepalis were recorded over the four years of his term (2017: 650, 2018: 720, 2019: 340, 2020: 140).
Fiscal Year 2024 recorded 3,690 Nepalis, up from 3,140 in FY 2023. 740 were recorded in just October-November 2024 alone (440 in October, 300 in November). 6,830 Nepalis were recorded in the 24 months since October 2022, compared to 5,180 recorded over the nine years from 2014 to 2022. In FY 2022, 1,490 Nepalis were recorded at the U.S.-Mexico border, up from 420 in FY 2021.
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Kishor Panthi
View More PostsKishor Panthi is the founder and editor-in-chief of Khasokhas and NepYork. He is the author of three books, “Kampan,” "UNTRANSLATABLE" and “Zero Mile.” He writes about social issues, immigration, and politics.
