Attempted border crossings dropped to the lowest level of the Biden presidency in September

The Border Patrol made roughly 54,000 apprehensions of immigrants attempting to cross into the United States illegally in September, according to preliminary data obtained by NBC News, marking the lowest monthly total of illegal border crossings attempts since President Joe Biden took office.

That figure, which has not been officially released by Customs and Border Protection, is in line with the September totals for 2018, 2019 and 2020 during the Trump administration. In September 2018, 50,568 migrants tried to cross the southern border between legal ports of entry. A year later, 52,546 immigrants tried to cross, and in September 2020, the number was 54,771.

This September’s preliminary total of about 54,000 attempted illegal crossings also includes an unspecified number of apprehensions at the northern U.S. border. Northern crossings have long been a tiny fraction of southern border crossings, though they have risen in 2024.

CBS News first reported the September border apprehension numbers.

Trump has repeatedly claimed the border is not secure under the Biden administration, and used the record high numbers prior to mid-2024 to criticize his opponent in the presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris.

But since Biden’s executive action limiting asylum claims by border crossers took effect in mid-June, the number of immigrants trying to cross illegally has plummeted.

It is not yet known how many immigrants came into the U.S. in the same period legally through newly created pathways established by the Biden administration. Immigrants can make appointments for asylum interviews through the CBP One app without crossing the border, and residents of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela can apply for temporary entry while still in their home countries. 

In addition to the effect of Biden’s executive action, the U.S. border numbers have dropped because Mexico has increased its interdictions of U.S.-bound migrants. But officials who have spoken with NBC News suggest Mexico may soon reach the limits of its ability to interrupt the journeys of migrants headed north.