Historic Drop in Border Encounters
Border Patrol reported just over 8,000 apprehensions for the entire month of February 2025, a staggering decline from 140,000 encounters in February 2024. The decrease represents one of the lowest monthly totals on record, with daily encounters averaging around 300 people across all nine sectors. This marks a dramatic shift from peak periods when Border Patrol was reporting nearly 12,000 encounters in a single day.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson previously stated that 1,000 encounters per day constitutes a crisis at the southern border. The current numbers show enforcement reaching levels that agents say allow them to actually patrol the border rather than spending their time processing and transporting migrants.
Border Patrol Agents Feel Empowered
Border Patrol agents on the ground are expressing relief at finally being able to perform the duties they signed up for. One agent in El Paso explained: "This is what we signed up for, this is the oath that we took to protect the nation and secure the southern border. We're finally able to do that and they feel empowered to do that."
Paul Perez, president of the Border Patrol Union, emphasized that while current numbers are low, the goal is to keep them that way. He noted that the Border Patrol is requesting 10,000 more agents to maintain control of the border, and that additional resources including thousands of troops and federal partners at state and municipal levels are making a significant difference.
Increased Resources and Military Deployment
The Pentagon announced plans to send thousands more troops to the border, including a specialized air unit. This comes on top of the thousands already deployed under various operations. Deputies and agents in Texas and Arizona confirmed the visible difference these resources are making on the ground.
In Kenny County, Texas, east of Del Rio, Deputy Molinar reported that smuggling numbers are "completely down" compared to previous months. The county had been a major smuggling hot spot with daily human smuggling incidents and casualties, but has now returned to what he described as "normal days, just calls for service."
Similarly, in Cochise County, Arizona, east of Tucson along Interstate 10—known as "Smugglers Highway"—Deputy Bronstein noted that Border Patrol agents "seem like they do their jobs again" and that there's been a noticeable slowdown in load vehicle pursuits.
Cartel Adaptation and Ongoing Threats
Despite the dramatic decrease in crossings, law enforcement officials across the border warn that the cartels will not simply give up their $13 billion annual human smuggling industry. Agents and deputies repeatedly expressed the sentiment: "It's not if, but when" the cartels will adapt and potentially strike back with increased force.
Paul Perez acknowledged that the cartels have become more aggressive, taking shots at agents in different sectors along the southwest border. He emphasized that as long as cartels control Mexico, they will continue attempting to funnel drugs, illegal aliens, weapons, and money across the border.
Newer threats include bomb-wielding drones, with agents reporting that cartels now have capabilities to drop explosives from unmanned aerial vehicles. This technology represents a significant evolution in the threat level that enforcement agencies must prepare for.
Exclusive Access to Elite BORTAC Unit
For the first time ever, media was granted access to BORTAC, Border Patrol's elite tactical unit. This specialized operations group targets the worst criminal aliens while also working to save lives. News Nation witnessed a hostage simulation where the team demonstrated their zero-fail approach to high-stakes operations.
The BORTAC commander explained that their primary mission involves targeting high-value criminal aliens anywhere in the United States, not just at the border. "We've always targeted the cartels, that's nothing new. That's one of our primary missions, going after the cartels. If they cross that border, people or anything illegal that comes across that border that has access to our authorities, we have the authority to go ahead and target them anywhere."
The unit trains 365 days a year, constantly running scenario-based exercises to prepare for situations they haven't encountered before. Team members are hand-selected and carry M4 rifles, use drones, and employ various technologies, though their most important asset is teamwork with zero room for error.
Smuggling Operations Evolve
While overall numbers are down, smuggling operations continue to evolve. News Nation cameras captured cartel ladder crews attempting to breach the border wall, with some using specialized ladders featuring notches that affix to the top of the wall for easy crossing. Air and Marine Operations successfully thwarted two different ladder crew attempts during filming.
Smuggling prices have varied dramatically. One migrant apprehended in Arizona reported paying $8,000 to be transported in a shuttle bus, a new tactic being employed by smugglers. Deputy Molinar in Kenny County noted that typical smuggling fees range from $5,000 to $6,000 per person, though he had not previously heard of amounts as high as $8,000.
Smugglers are now moving in smaller groups and searching for areas not actively patrolled. When apprehended, some smugglers have shown a cavalier attitude, almost accepting their arrest as simply part of doing business. During one apprehension captured on camera, a suspected guide wearing a purple sweatshirt appeared to be laughing even after being handcuffed.
Teamwork Among Enforcement Agencies
A key factor in the current success is the teamwork between Border Patrol, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas National Guard, and other federal partners. Texas state troopers and Border Patrol agents are working together to cover gaps when agents are processing individuals, ensuring continuous coverage of vulnerable areas.
This coordination extends to operations in the Rio Grande Valley, where within one hour of patrolling, authorities apprehended two men hiding in the brush who were headed to San Antonio, intercepted a raft operation where three Mexican nationals were caught (though the smuggler escaped back to Mexico), and stopped 187 pounds of narcotics with three arrests.
One Texas state trooper explained that under the previous administration, enforcement agents were stretched thin while processing and apprehending hundreds to thousands of migrants daily. Now they can focus on adapting to new smuggler tactics and targeting those trying to evade authorities.
Historic Cartel Extraditions
In unprecedented news, Mexico extradited 29 cartel members to the United States to stand trial, including notorious drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero. Wanted by the United States for decades and allegedly involved in the kidnapping, torture, and killing of a DEA agent 40 years ago, Caro Quintero appeared in a New York courtroom where he pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The Justice Department called it an unprecedented operation that sends a major message following the Trump administration's designation of cartels as terrorist organizations. Former DEA special agent Brian Townson noted: "This is unprecedented and this is good for DEA and this is good for America. These are violent criminals who are preying on our communities with illicit drugs like fentanyl, killing thousands of Americans every year."
Townson confirmed that cartels have infiltrated most major U.S. cities including Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York, working with other criminal networks to distribute drugs once they cross the border. He emphasized that negotiations between the Trump administration and the Mexican government under President Sheinbaum are producing unprecedented cooperation.
Maritime Border Security
While attention focuses on the land border, the U.S. Coast Guard is experiencing increased activity along maritime borders, particularly off the Florida coast. Non-land encounters are rising as enforcement tightens at the southern land border, with migrants attempting ocean crossings from Cuba, Haiti, and surprisingly, China.
The Coast Guard has reported an 8,000 percent increase in Chinese migrants caught around the Florida coast. Recent interdictions include 31 migrants packed onto a small fishing boat, two dozen Chinese migrants hiding in an engine compartment, and remarkably, a Chinese migrant found miles offshore on a paddleboard with a suitcase strapped to it.
Coast Guard patrols fly at about 1,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean, using secret technology to spot migrant vessels from miles away. Mission system operators look for vessels moving northbound and boats overcrowded with 20 to 200 people. When migrants in distress are spotted, the crew can open the cargo door and drop supplies and even a raft.
Ongoing Concerns and Preparations
Despite current success, everyone along the border is preparing for what comes next. Sheriff Brad Cole of Kenny County, Texas, emphasized a proactive approach: "I'm from the old school law enforcement style. I believe in being proactive, and when you have a proactive police agency or Sheriff's Office, you're going to get results and you're going to put criminals in jail and take them off the street."
Deputies report that migrants and cartel members are becoming more aggressive when apprehended, knowing they will now be deported rather than released. Deputy Bronstein in Cochise County noted: "They often flee, they often fight. They're willing to, you know, a lot of times no matter the cost—wrecking vehicles, you know, injury to their illegals, stuff like that."
The situation remains volatile with warnings about potential explosives near the southern border. As one journalist noted, everyone is waiting to see what happens next, remembering that at the end of Title 42, crossings dried up for months before December brought a record-breaking 300,000 encounters. The consensus among law enforcement: the cartels will pivot again—it's just a matter of when.
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