‘Main hotspot’ at northern border records 95% drop in illegal migrant apprehensions in March: White House
The number of illegal immigrants caught along one northern border sector that was once “overrun by illegal migrants” has dramatically declined under the Trump administration after it saw thousands of unlawful crossings last year, the White House said Tuesday.
Only 54 illegal immigrants were apprehended last month in the Swanton Sector, which stretches more than 300 miles, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, citing U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“This is a drastic 95% drop from the more than a thousand border crossings that were caught in March 2024,” she said. “This is a main hotspot area that recorded more than 80% of all apprehensions along the northern border during the 2024 fiscal year.”
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In fiscal year 2024, 19,222 illegal immigrants were apprehended along the sector. The migrants hailed from 97 countries, sector Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia said at the time.
The apprehensions amounted to more than the past 17 years combined, authorities said. In FY 2020, the agents assigned to the sector apprehended 574 illegal immigrants, followed by 365 the next year.
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The Swanton Sector encompasses 24,000 square miles and includes Vermont; Clinton, Essex, Franklin, St. Lawrence and Herkimer counties of New York; and Coos, Grafton and Carroll counties of New Hampshire. It also borders the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario.
On Monday, Garcia called the difference between the 1,109 apprehensions in March 2024 and last month a “stark contrast.”
“Our mission of border security never stops; people are still smuggling humans & contraband entering the country illegally,” he wrote on X.
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Under Trump, the catch and release of illegal migrants dropped by 99.99%, compared to the Biden administration, in which 189,604 migrants were released into the United States in December 2023, at the height of the border crisis, Leavitt said.
In February, Border Patrol agents caught and released only 20 illegal immigrants, she added.
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