WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Committee on Homeland Security Republicans released a new “Border Brief” on Tuesday, April 22, highlighting dramatic declines in border encounters reported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for March 2025. The data reveal a nearly 94% decrease in Southwest border apprehensions and an 88% drop in nationwide encounters compared to March 2024, which Republicans attribute to the success of President Donald Trump’s border policies and law enforcement efforts.
The report credits President Trump with restoring “law and order” to the U.S. borders in less than three months since taking office, reversing what it describes as the “lawless open-borders policies” of the Biden-Harris administration. According to the Committee, Trump’s approach has empowered Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to remove criminal illegal aliens and gang members, enhancing public safety nationwide.
In the statement, Republicans condemned the Biden administration’s border policies, citing ongoing threats posed by criminal gangs such as MS-13 and foreign terrorist suspects. They point to recent high-profile cases, including the conviction of Victor Martinez-Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who was found guilty of murdering Rachel Morin, a Maryland mother of five. The Committee emphasizes that under the Trump administration, the number of known “gotaways” — illegal crossers who evade capture — has plummeted by more than 90% since February.
The statement also highlights ICE enforcement figures from the first 50 days of the Trump administration, noting 32,809 arrests, including 1,155 gang members and 39 suspected terrorists—figures roughly equivalent to the entire fiscal year 2024 under Biden. It further notes ICE has apprehended nearly 400 members of the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua, linked to violent crimes including the murder of nursing student Laken Riley and 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Georgia.
Republicans criticized Democratic lawmakers for what they called “hypocrisy,” citing Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen’s recent trip to El Salvador to visit a deported MS-13 gang member. The victim’s mother, Patty Morin, publicly condemned the senator for not acknowledging her daughter’s murder and accused him of using taxpayer money to support criminals rather than American victims.
On the legislative front, the Homeland Security Committee, led by Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS), held a subcommittee hearing last month to scrutinize how Biden and Harris’ border policies led to the crisis. The Committee also advanced legislation from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) requiring DHS to publish detailed data on “Special Interest Aliens” crossing the border, aiming to increase transparency on individuals deemed threats to national security.
Key data from the report include:
- Nationwide CBP encounters fell to 29,065 in March, with just 11,017 at the Southwest border.
- Border Patrol apprehensions between ports of entry at the Southwest border dropped nearly 94% compared to March 2024.
- Daily nationwide apprehensions averaged 264 per day in March, the lowest in history and 94% below March 2024 levels.
- Encounters of unaccompanied alien children at the Southwest border dropped 97% compared to March 2021.
- Encounters at the Northern border decreased by over 70% compared to March 2024 and 2023.
The Committee’s briefing frames these numbers as proof of President Trump’s effective border policies and accuses Democrats of ignoring the risks posed by open borders and criminal aliens. Republicans say the data highlight the urgent need for continued enforcement and legislative oversight to prevent future crises.