Illegal Migration from Mexico to the US Falls to Lowest Level Since 1968
US border agents have detained 98,708 people crossing illegally from Mexico so far in 2026, the lowest figure since 1968. The drop is linked to tougher immigration policy under President Donald Trump.
The number of illegal crossings on the US-Mexico border has fallen to its lowest level since 1968. According to the US Department of Homeland Security, as cited by the Financial Times, American border agents have detained 98,708 people who crossed illegally from the Mexican side since the start of 2026.
That is below the 1968 figure, when 96,641 illegal migrants were detained at the border, though it is the lowest for the whole period since then. Compared with 2022 and 2023 under President Joe Biden, when more than two million people were detained at the border each year, the figure has dropped roughly twentyfold.
What explains the decline
Experts and migrants themselves link the sharp fall in the flow to tougher immigration policy under current President Donald Trump. US Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said the result was clear: firm enforcement works.
The decline began under Biden, after asylum rules were tightened, but the process accelerated sharply under Trump. His administration dismantled the system designed for illegal migrants crossing the southern border and launched an aggressive campaign to deport illegal migrants from inside the country. Losing the right to seek asylum after crossing the border, together with a high risk of arrest inside the US, has removed the incentive for most migrants to try to enter.
Effect on voters
The Financial Times notes that the rapid fall has made the issue much less of a priority for voters ahead of the US midterm congressional elections. The main concerns for American voters remain the poor state of the economy and fast-rising prices.
