Migrant encounters at US-Mexico border at lowest level in over 50 years| Pew Research Center

U.S. Border Patrol encounters with migrants crossing into the United States from Mexico have fallen to their lowest level in more than 50 years, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of statistics from the federal government.

The Border Patrol recorded 237,538 encounters with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in the 2025 fiscal year, which began in October 2024 and ended in September 2025. That was down from more than 1.5 million encounters in fiscal 2024, more than 2 million in fiscal 2023 and a record of more than 2.2 million in fiscal 2022. The 2025 total was the lowest in any fiscal year since 1970, according to historical data from the Border Patrol.

About this research

This Pew Research Center analysis looks at how U.S. Border Patrol encounters with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border have changed in recent years.

Why did we do this?

Pew Research Center does research to help the public, media and decision-makers understand important topics. This research builds on our long-standing work on migration trends.

Learn more about Pew Research Center and our work on immigration and migration.

How did we do this?

This analysis relies on statistics published on a regular basis by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the federal agency that encompasses the Border Patrol.

Fiscal year	Total encounters
1960	21,022
1961	21,745
1962	21,103
1963	29,644
1964	32,519
1965	40,020
1966	62,640
1967	73,973
1968	96,641
1969	137,968
1970	201,780
1971	263,991
1972	321,326
1973	441,066
1974	571,606
1975	512,264
1976	607,499
1977	733,193
1978	789,441
1979	795,798
1980	690,554
1981	749,808
1982	745,820
1983	1,033,974
1984	1,058,276
1985	1,183,351
1986	1,615,844
1987	1,122,067
1988	942,561
1989	852,506
1990	1,049,321
1991	1,077,876
1992	1,145,574
1993	1,212,886
1994	979,101
1995	1,271,390
1996	1,507,020
1997	1,368,707
1998	1,516,680
1999	1,537,000
2000	1,643,679
2001	1,235,718
2002	929,809
2003	905,065
2004	1,139,282
2005	1,171,396
2006	1,071,972
2007	858,638
2008	705,005
2009	540,865
2010	447,731
2011	327,577
2012	356,873
2013	414,397
2014	479,371
2015	331,333
2016	408,870
2017	303,916
2018	396,579
2019	851,508
2020	400,651
2021	1,659,206
2022	2,206,436
2023	2,045,838
2024	1,530,523
2025	237,538

In this analysis, the term “encounters” refers primarily to Border Patrol apprehensions of migrants crossing into the U.S. between official points of entry. It refers to events, not people. Border Patrol agents may encounter some migrants more than once – for example, if a migrant is apprehended and deported but tries to enter the U.S. again.

The dramatic decline in migrant encounters follows a series of policy changes in both the U.S. and Mexico during both the Biden and Trump administrations:

In April 2024, then-U.S. President Joe Biden and then-Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced an agreement to step up immigration enforcement. Mexico’s increased enforcement reportedly has played a significant role in reducing migrant flows to the U.S.
In June 2024 and again in September 2024, the Biden administration imposed new restrictions on migrants seeking asylum in the U.S.
Immediately after returning to office in January 2025, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the southwestern border and directed the U.S. military to assist with border security. The administration also shut down a Biden-era app that had allowed migrants to apply for asylum.
The Trump administration has increased arrests and deportations of migrants from the interior of the U.S., potentially deterring new migrant arrivals at the border.

Monthly statistics show an even greater decline in migrant encounters in Trump’s second term

While annual statistics show a huge decline in migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border in the 2025 fiscal year, these numbers understate the decrease that has occurred since Trump’s second term began on Jan. 20, 2025.

Month/Year	Total encounters
10/1999	91,410
11/1999	76,196
12/1999	71,252
01/2000	185,979
02/2000	211,328
03/2000	220,063
04/2000	180,050
05/2000	166,296
06/2000	115,093
07/2000	113,956
08/2000	114,312
09/2000	97,744
10/2000	82,632
11/2000	67,709
12/2000	55,081
01/2001	125,090
02/2001	152,229
03/2001	170,580
04/2001	142,813
05/2001	122,927
06/2001	89,131
07/2001	83,602
08/2001	84,648
09/2001	59,276
10/2001	37,812
11/2001	32,506
12/2001	31,501
01/2002	79,793
02/2002	95,724
03/2002	126,992
04/2002	121,921
05/2002	97,424
06/2002	78,655
07/2002	76,661
08/2002	82,557
09/2002	68,263
10/2002	61,792
11/2002	47,731
12/2002	37,824
01/2003	86,925
02/2003	96,869
03/2003	98,399
04/2003	75,359
05/2003	88,690
06/2003	75,530
07/2003	79,284
08/2003	84,486
09/2003	72,176
10/2003	65,391
11/2003	57,894
12/2003	43,614
01/2004	92,521
02/2004	110,669
03/2004	154,981
04/2004	135,468
05/2004	118,726
06/2004	94,590
07/2004	92,165
08/2004	93,246
09/2004	80,017
10/2004	75,913
11/2004	65,135
12/2004	48,406
01/2005	93,020
02/2005	113,775
03/2005	143,048
04/2005	140,062
05/2005	115,823
06/2005	90,786
07/2005	94,954
08/2005	96,733
09/2005	93,741
10/2005	83,557
11/2005	70,975
12/2005	52,673
01/2006	101,195
02/2006	125,046
03/2006	160,696
04/2006	126,538
05/2006	105,450
06/2006	68,366
07/2006	59,641
08/2006	59,751
09/2006	58,084
10/2006	60,713
11/2006	51,594
12/2006	40,527
01/2007	71,934
02/2007	79,268
03/2007	114,137
04/2007	104,465
05/2007	88,504
06/2007	71,338
07/2007	66,782
08/2007	59,795
09/2007	49,581
10/2007	51,339
11/2007	42,209
12/2007	31,802
01/2008	59,028
02/2008	73,483
03/2008	89,770
04/2008	91,566
05/2008	69,233
06/2008	53,854
07/2008	49,472
08/2008	48,541
09/2008	44,708
10/2008	42,938
11/2008	32,780
12/2008	25,947
01/2009	44,502
02/2009	49,211
03/2009	67,342
04/2009	58,493
05/2009	50,884
06/2009	46,044
07/2009	43,843
08/2009	43,522
09/2009	35,359
10/2009	40,890
11/2009	32,815
12/2009	25,034
01/2010	34,784
02/2010	42,790
03/2010	61,361
04/2010	55,237
05/2010	47,045
06/2010	32,955
07/2010	25,609
08/2010	26,415
09/2010	22,796
10/2010	26,165
11/2010	22,405
12/2010	19,429
01/2011	23,926
02/2011	28,786
03/2011	42,014
04/2011	36,251
05/2011	31,236
06/2011	27,166
07/2011	23,170
08/2011	24,166
09/2011	22,863
10/2011	25,612
11/2011	23,368
12/2011	18,983
01/2012	25,714
02/2012	31,579
03/2012	42,218
04/2012	40,628
05/2012	36,966
06/2012	30,669
07/2012	26,978
08/2012	27,567
09/2012	26,591
10/2012	28,929
11/2012	27,636
12/2012	23,243
01/2013	26,921
02/2013	35,042
03/2013	47,293
04/2013	48,212
05/2013	43,856
06/2013	34,436
07/2013	33,230
08/2013	33,797
09/2013	31,802
10/2013	35,312
11/2013	31,896
12/2013	29,528
01/2014	28,668
02/2014	36,403
03/2014	49,596
04/2014	51,502
05/2014	60,683
06/2014	57,862
07/2014	40,708
08/2014	31,388
09/2014	25,825
10/2014	26,450
11/2014	24,641
12/2014	25,019
01/2015	21,514
02/2015	24,376
03/2015	29,791
04/2015	29,750
05/2015	31,576
06/2015	29,303
07/2015	28,388
08/2015	30,239
09/2015	30,286
10/2015	32,724
11/2015	32,838
12/2015	37,014
01/2016	23,758
02/2016	26,072
03/2016	33,316
04/2016	38,089
05/2016	40,337
06/2016	34,450
07/2016	33,723
08/2016	37,048
09/2016	39,501
10/2016	46,184
11/2016	47,211
12/2016	43,251
01/2017	31,576
02/2017	18,754
03/2017	12,195
04/2017	11,127
05/2017	14,519
06/2017	16,087
07/2017	18,187
08/2017	22,288
09/2017	22,537
10/2017	25,488
11/2017	29,085
12/2017	28,995
01/2018	25,975
02/2018	26,666
03/2018	37,390
04/2018	38,243
05/2018	40,339
06/2018	34,089
07/2018	31,299
08/2018	37,524
09/2018	41,486
10/2018	51,005
11/2018	51,857
12/2018	50,751
01/2019	47,979
02/2019	66,883
03/2019	92,833
04/2019	99,273
05/2019	132,856
06/2019	94,902
07/2019	71,978
08/2019	50,684
09/2019	40,507
10/2019	35,402
11/2019	33,524
12/2019	32,853
01/2020	29,205
02/2020	30,077
03/2020	30,389
04/2020	16,182
05/2020	21,593
06/2020	30,836
07/2020	38,536
08/2020	47,283
09/2020	54,771
10/2020	69,032
11/2020	69,169
12/2020	71,141
01/2021	75,316
02/2021	97,643
03/2021	169,216
04/2021	173,699
05/2021	172,654
06/2021	178,649
07/2021	200,658
08/2021	196,514
09/2021	185,515
10/2021	159,113
11/2021	167,015
12/2021	170,602
01/2022	147,877
02/2022	159,170
03/2022	211,181
04/2022	203,504
05/2022	224,370
06/2022	192,399
07/2022	181,834
08/2022	181,774
09/2022	207,597
10/2022	205,134
11/2022	207,680
12/2022	222,018
01/2023	129,513
02/2023	130,521
03/2023	163,672
04/2023	183,921
05/2023	171,382
06/2023	99,538
07/2023	132,642
08/2023	181,054
09/2023	218,763
10/2023	188,749
11/2023	191,106
12/2023	249,740
01/2024	124,215
02/2024	140,641
03/2024	137,473
04/2024	128,895
05/2024	117,905
06/2024	83,532
07/2024	56,400
08/2024	58,009
09/2024	53,858
10/2024	56,515
11/2024	46,609
12/2024	47,320
01/2025	29,105
02/2025	8,349
03/2025	7,179
04/2025	8,376
05/2025	8,724
06/2025	6,066
07/2025	4,592
08/2025	6,317
09/2025	8,386
10/2025	7,989
11/2025	7,348
12/2025	6,478

The federal fiscal year runs from October to the end of September, so fiscal 2025 included nearly four months of the Biden administration. Migrant encounters during Biden’s last four months in office were much higher than in the months after Trump’s return.

Since February 2025, the first full month of Trump’s current term, the Border Patrol has recorded fewer than 10,000 encounters a month at the southwestern border. Those are the lowest totals in more than 25 years of available monthly data. Recent totals have been even lower than the 16,182 encounters in April 2020, when international migration plummeted in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic.

Historically, the number of migrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico has varied based on factors such as economic, political and security conditions in migrants’ home countries and policy changes in the U.S., Mexico and elsewhere.

Note: This is an update of an analysis originally published on March 15, 2021.

Topics

Regions & Countries

Formats

Migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border are at their lowest level in more than 50 years

Why did we do this?

How did we do this?

Monthly statistics show an even greater decline in migrant encounters in Trump’s second term

Migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border are at their lowest level in more than 50 years

Why did we do this?

How did we do this?

Share this chart

Monthly statistics show an even greater decline in migrant encounters in Trump’s second term

Share this chart