The Numbers Are Not In Dispute

U.S. Customs and Border Protection data tells the story clearly.

In November 2025, CBP recorded 30,375 total encounters nationwide. That is 92% below the Biden-era peak of 370,883 monthly encounters, according to CBP's official December 16 statistical release.

Southwest Border Patrol apprehensions in November came in at 7,350 — 95% lower than the monthly average under the Biden administration. For context: under Biden, CBP was apprehending that many people in roughly five days.

The daily average on the southwest border is now 245 apprehensions per day. Under Biden, that was the number processed every 90 minutes.

These figures come from CBP.gov and DHS.gov—official government counts.

Zero Releases — Seven Months Running

For seven consecutive months, U.S. Border Patrol has released zero illegal aliens into the United States. Every person apprehended was processed according to law—detained or removed. Not a single catch-and-release.

Compare that to November 2024, when Biden's Border Patrol released 7,185 people into the country in a single month along the southwest border alone, according to CBP's December release.

Zero versus 7,185.

The Fiscal Year Context Makes It Worse for Biden

DHS released preliminary data in November and December 2025 showing the combined October-November FY2026 encounter total sits at 60,940 nationwide — 28% below the previous record low set in FY2012, according to the DHS press release dated December 4, 2025.

Since January 21, 2025, through the end of November, total enforcement encounters along the southwest border have reached 117,105. The Biden administration's monthly average was 185,625. Ten months of Trump enforcement produced fewer encounters than a single average month under Biden.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem called it "the most secure border in history." A CBP spokesperson said the November numbers were "even less than the historic low in October, making for the lowest encounter numbers ever to start a fiscal year."

What Mainstream Media Is Getting Wrong

Most major outlets — NBC, CNN, the Associated Press — have not led with these numbers. Some have buried them. Others have reframed the story around immigration enforcement lawsuits, deportation policy debates, or due process concerns. Those are legitimate stories. But a 95% drop in illegal crossings does not merit being pushed aside in favor of other angles.

On the other side, Breitbart and conservative media are declaring victory without scrutiny. Breitbart editor-in-chief Alex Marlow called it "the best stats you could have" on his December radio broadcast. The numbers are strong. But few on the right are asking: what happens if deterrence erodes? What is the long-term deportation capacity? Are immigration courts keeping pace?

Accountability means asking both sides: "Why isn't the left covering this?" AND "What are the right's cheerleaders leaving out?"

The Drug Numbers Deserve Their Own Headline

Buried in the CBP November report: fentanyl seizures hit 1,543 pounds — a 59% increase from October. Cocaine seizures jumped 40% from October. Methamphetamine seizures increased 118%.

Higher seizures can indicate better enforcement, more smuggling attempts, or both. The fentanyl figure alone — 1,543 pounds in one month — represents enough to kill millions of Americans. This story receives almost no coverage from any outlet.

What This Means for Regular People

If you live in a border community, a fentanyl-ravaged town in Ohio, or anywhere that absorbed the strain of 8 million illegal crossings during the Biden years, these numbers mean something concrete.

Fewer people crossing illegally means fewer unvetted individuals entering communities. Fewer parole releases means fewer people disappearing into the interior without legal status. More drug seizures mean more fentanyl that doesn't reach schools.

The policy is working by historical measures. That does not mean every enforcement method escapes scrutiny. Due process questions are real. Deportation error rates deserve oversight. But the border numbers are historically strong, and any outlet downplaying them is obscuring the data.

The numbers are what they are.