U.S.-Mexico Border Arrests Hit 55-Year Low in 2025

Published OCT 8

story

Above: Aerial view of the border wall between Santa Teresa, New Mexico, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, on Aug. 28, 2025. Image copyright: Herika Martinez/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Republican narrative

Trump's border crackdown is successfully ending the immigration crisis, with encounters dropping to historic lows through decisive enforcement. The comprehensive approach combining military deterrence, criminal prosecution and asylum restrictions has proven that strong leadership can secure America's borders when politicians have the courage to act.

FOX News Economist

Democratic narrative

The drop in border arrests doesn’t prove success — it shows the cost of Trump’s extreme enforcement. Mass deportations, asylum shutdowns, and military tactics may lower numbers but erode America’s moral and legal commitments. Most voters favor pragmatic, humane reform and paths to citizenship over punitive crackdowns that treat migration as invasion.

Guardian The Nation The New York Times