Border arrests hit 59-year low as migrants march north
Customs and Border Protection data shows 98,701 arrests in fiscal 2026, while a group of over 100 migrants from Honduras heads toward the U.S.-Mexico border.
By Layla Richardson ·
98,701. That is the number of undocumented immigrants arrested by Border Patrol agents at the southern border during fiscal year 2026. The figure, obtained by the Washington Examiner from internal Office of Customs and Border Protection data, marks the lowest annual total in at least 59 years.
The average monthly interception rate dropped to 8,225 people. Four years ago, agents apprehended an average of 183,000 individuals per month. This means the number of arrests in a single year is now lower than the number recorded in a single month of 2022.
While federal agencies report these low numbers, a group of more than 100 migrants is currently moving through southeastern Mexico. Most of the participants are from Central America. They began their journey in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on September 20, 2026. The group carries signs with the phrases "Faith and Hope" and "Migrating is not a crime."
Gabriela Macías, a Honduran citizen traveling with her infant, said the group is asking Mexican and U.S. leaders for passage. "We ask the president of Mexico to let us pass and Trump to open the border," Macías said. "To get ahead, to be able to work because we are needy people, honestly."
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has spent recent weeks referencing caravans to reinforce its anti-immigration stance. On October 27, 2026, DHS posted a video of a 2021 caravan on X to criticize the administration of former President Joe Biden. The post coincides with the midterm election campaign.
DHS claimed that under the Biden administration, there were 2 million irregular crossings. The department stated that under the new Trump mandate, these numbers have fallen by 98%. DHS also reported 10.9 million encounters with Border Patrol between 2021 and 2024, a figure it says has dropped by 95%. The agency asserted that 4.7 million migrants were released during the Biden term, compared to zero releases in the current mandate.
Border Patrol has not published total detention figures for the southern border since its founding in 1924. This lack of historical data makes it difficult to verify exactly when such low interception rates were last recorded.
