The Trump administration, alongside a Republican-controlled Congress, is focusing on enhancing border security and enforcing immigration laws. Efforts are underway to strengthen the tools and resources needed to maintain what they describe as “the most secure border in American history.”
In the past six months, agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard, and elements from the Department of Defense have been actively working to regain control over U.S. borders while addressing drug trafficking and human smuggling. The administration claims that these efforts have empowered authorities to curb the flow of migrants into the country.
The new policies reportedly include ending catch-and-release practices and designating certain gangs and cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. As a result, Border Patrol has observed significant declines in illegal crossings at the southern border.
According to CBP data from May 2025, there were 8,725 encounters at the border—a 93 percent decrease compared to nearly 118,000 during May of the previous year. Furthermore, no illegal immigrants apprehended last month were temporarily allowed entry into the U.S., contrasting with an estimated 62,000 who were permitted entry in May 2024. Additionally, over 8,000 pounds of fentanyl were seized between January and May 2025.
President Trump’s first signed law in his second term was the Laken Riley Act. This legislation aims to prevent violent unlawful migrants from causing harm by ensuring they do not remain at large within communities.
Senate Republicans are seeking $175 billion in funding for hiring more ICE and CBP agents, expanding detention capacity, completing the border wall construction, updating surveillance technology at borders, and investing in state and local law enforcement partnerships.
While emphasizing America’s identity as a nation welcoming legal immigrants—citing nearly eight million naturalizations by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services over ten years—the statement underscores adherence to laws as crucial for national safety.
The administration expresses satisfaction with congressional efforts toward correcting perceived failures of previous years regarding immigration enforcement policies.
