Trump hits dramatic milestone in massive departure from Biden border plan: 'What a difference'
The Trump administration marked a full year of "zero releases" at the southern border on Friday, a milestone officials touted as evidence that the president has effectively ended the catch-and-release...
By Fox News · Fox News
The Trump administration marked a full year of "zero releases" at the southern border on Friday, a milestone officials touted as evidence that the president has effectively ended the catch-and-release policies that defined the Biden-era border crisis. "Zero releases" refers to U.S. border patrol not releasing illegal border crossers into the U.S. interior after apprehension. It does not mean zero illegal crossings or zero apprehensions. In a news release announcing the decline in releases at the southern border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pointed to broader enforcement statistics showing illegal crossings and apprehensions at levels officials said have not been seen in more than three decades. CBP said Border Patrol recorded 8,943 southwestern border apprehensions in April, 94% lower than the Biden administration’s monthly average, 96% below the December 2023 peak during Biden’s tenure and fewer than the number apprehended in just three days in April 2024. "The days of catch and release are over," said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin . "We are enforcing the nation’s laws and sending illegal aliens back to their home countries." TRUMP ADMIN RELEASES SHOCKINGLY LOW NUMBER OF ILLEGAL ALIENS COMPARED TO BIDEN YEARS: 'UNPRECEDENTED' Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, told Fox News Digital that the administration’s claim of "zero releases" from Border Patrol custody "does appear true," but noted that the figure does not capture migrants transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and later released on bond, parole, medical or humanitarian grounds, or after winning their cases. "What a difference," CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott said. "The U.S. Border Patrol released zero illegal aliens into our country again this month, unlike April 2024 when more than 68,000 were released under President Biden. Every minute of every day President Trump’s border security policies are making every…