WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Today, the House Committee on Homeland Security released its latest “Border Brief” factsheet, highlighting the continued historic success of the Trump administration in securing our borders and the homeland. In October and November, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported only 60,940 encounters nationwide, 28 percent lower than the previous low, making the start of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 the lowest start to a fiscal year ever. Additionally, in November 2025, nationwide encounters (30,375) were even lower than October 2025’s historic low. 

“Thanks to the work of our federal law enforcement our borders had yet another month of record low encounters. Today, the border is secure, the flow of drugs has been disrupted, and violent criminals are being taken off the streets,” House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) said.“The historic investments in border security provided in the One Big Beautiful Bill made these successes possible, and I look forward to continued partnership with the administration to extend these historic successes throughout FY26. The Committee will continue working with the Trump administration to ensure our frontline personnel have the tools, resources, and support they need to carry out their mission and keep our homeland secure.” 

“2025 has been a record year for border security,” Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) said. “I’m honored to work with President Trump to keep our border secure now and into 2026. Thank you, President Trump, for keeping your promise to secure the border.”

U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) apprehensions between ports of entry at the Southwest border last month (7,350) decreased 84 percent compared to November FY25 (46,609). USBP agents apprehended an average of 245 inadmissible aliens per day along the Southwest border in November, 95 percent lower than the daily average under the previous administration. From January 21 through the end of November, the Border Patrol recorded 117,105 total enforcement encounters along the Southwest border, representing 37 percent fewer than the monthly average of 185,625 during the Biden-Harris administration. Since President Trump took office, USBP has averaged fewer than 10,000 apprehensions per month. For comparison, at the height of the border crisis under the previous administration, USBP averaged 155,000 apprehensions per month. For seven consecutive months, USBP released zero illegal aliens into the United States.

Heading into the holidays, federal law enforcement is also safeguarding our communities by identifying dangerous inadmissible aliens, including illegal aliens accused of sex offenses against children, murder, and drug trafficking. Additionally, the Trump administration has also located more than 62,000 missing children who were released as unaccompanied alien children (UACs) under the Biden-Harris administration to poorly vetted sponsors, leading to potential abuse and exploitation.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains central to deterring threats to the homeland and preventing criminal activity from reaching the border. The Committee held a hearing on Thursday, December 11 to ensure agencies have the resources and tools needed to fulfill their critical mission of protecting the American people, featuring testimony from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, National Counterterrorism Center Director (NCTC) Joseph Kent, and Operations Director of the National Security Branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Michael Glasheen.

The Trump administration’s robust border enforcement measures are effectively deterring illicit drug smuggling, reducing the flow of dangerous substances into communities across the United States. Nationwide fentanyl seizures in FY25 decreased 45 percent compared to FY24, highlighting deterrence.  At the same time, CBP’s interdiction efforts have not slowed. CBP seized 1,543 pounds of fentanyl nationwide in November, a 59 percent increase from October. In testimony before the Committee, NCTC Director Kent highlighted the evolving strategy of transnational criminal organizations, saying, “President Trump and Secretary Noem decisively secured the border. A lot of the fentanyl smuggling and drug smuggling is moving to the Maritime environment on both coasts…”  U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stone’s crew seized 49,010 pounds of narcotics worth more than $362 million in November – the most cocaine seized in one patrol in Coast Guard history.  

Key Facts:

• CBP nationwide border encounters in November decreased 75.7% compared to last November (124,972 vs 30,375). 
• Southwest border encounters in November decreased 88.4% compared to last year (94,183 vs 10,960). 
• Border Patrol apprehensions between ports of entry at the Southwest border last month decreased 84.2% compared to November FY25 (46,609 vs 7,350).
• CBP encounters of inadmissible aliens at the northern border dropped 70.3% from November of last year (12,085 vs 3,588).
• For the seventh month in a row, there were zero inadmissible aliens released by Border Patrol into our communities compared to the 7,185 released under the Biden administration along the Southwest border in November 2024.

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