Illegal border crossings at the southwest border reached their lowest level in U.S. history over the past fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection preliminary fiscal 2026 data.
Southwest border apprehensions dropped by 95% from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2026, CBP said.
CBP made the announcement on Saturday without publishing the data for the month of September. An estimate by The Center Square puts September nationwide encounters and apprehensions at close to 30,000. Every month, this number has hovered between 30,000 and 34,000, with the exception of February, according to CBP data.