The number of migrants crossing the U.S. southern border illegally in President Trump's first full month in office plunged to a level not seen in at least 25 years, according to preliminary government data obtained by CBS News. On some days during a record spike in illegal crossings under the Biden administration, Border Patrol recorded more than 8,000 apprehensions in a single day.Trump administration officials have credited their sweeping, government-wide immigration crackdown for the dramatic decrease in unlawful crossings. At the U.S.-Mexico border, the Trump administration has empowered federal officials to swiftly deport migrants without hearing their asylum claims, under the premise that the country is facing an "invasion."

The United States recorded the lowest number of southwest border crossings in history during the month of March, according to preliminary data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The sharp decline marks a dramatic shift in the nation’s immigration enforcement efforts and has officials declaring that “operational control” of the border is no longer aspirational — it’s becoming a reality. CBP data show that approximately 7,180 illegal crossings were recorded at the southwest border in March, a staggering decrease from the monthly average of 155,000 over the previous four years. Daily apprehensions fell to about 230 per day, compared to 5,100 per day under the previous administration.

Trump officials state that operational control of the U.S.-Mexico border is becoming a reality. The statement follows another month of declining apprehensions of illegal border crossers entering the U.S. from Mexico. The apprehensions fell by more than 1,1oo from February’s historic low. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials reported that border encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border fell from 8,327 in February to 7,180 in March. This represents a decrease of nearly 13 percent from the previous month’s record-setting low.