U.S. Border Patrol arrested fewer than 100,000 illegal immigrants at the southern border during fiscal 2026, a dramatic decline from the record levels seen during former President Joe Biden’s administration and the lowest annual total in nearly six decades.

Internal U.S. Customs and Border Protection data obtained by the Washington Examiner shows agents recorded 98,701 arrests during Trump’s first full fiscal year back in office. That compares with approximately 2.2 million arrests during Biden’s first full fiscal year, representing a drop of more than 95% from the peak levels reported in fiscal 2022.

The fiscal 2026 figure is the lowest since 1967, when Border Patrol recorded 94,778 arrests nationwide. Federal officials are expected to release the latest figures publicly in the coming weeks.

Agents averaged 8,225 arrests per month during fiscal 2026. Four years earlier, the monthly average stood at approximately 183,000, meaning agents were then making more arrests in a single month than they recorded during the entire most recent fiscal year.

The decline began before Trump returned to the White House. Border arrests fell within days of his November 2024 election victory, a trend that became known in some circles as the “Trump effect.”

After taking office, Trump moved quickly to implement a series of immigration and border security measures. His initial actions included more than a dozen executive orders and directives focused on restricting illegal immigration, strengthening enforcement and securing the U.S.-Mexico border.

The administration’s approach marked a shift from Biden’s policies, which included halting construction of the border wall, attempting to pause Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportations for 100 days and ending the practice of turning away unaccompanied migrant children under the previous administration’s border policies.

During Biden’s presidency, millions of migrants crossed the southern border, with roughly 5 million released into the country after encounters with border authorities. Hundreds of thousands of additional migrants entered through parole programs that allowed them to travel to the United States from abroad.

With illegal crossings now at historically low levels, CBP has also been able to direct resources toward other responsibilities, including efforts to protect American agriculture from the New World screwworm, a parasite that threatens livestock and other animals.

In September, CBP announced that it was working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help combat the pest. The agency has facilitated 96 shipments of sterile pupae and viable flies from Panama through four Texas ports of entry. Releasing sterile flies helps prevent the pest from reproducing and spreading.

As of Aug. 16, the Agriculture Department had confirmed 47 cases of New World screwworm in the United States, including 46 in Texas and one in New Mexico.

“By helping facilitate the timely movement of sterile flies, training frontline personnel, and sharing critical information, CBP is helping protect U.S. agriculture, animal health, and the broader economy,” said Suzette Kelly, a CBP deputy executive director for agriculture programs.

The latest border figures provide a measure of the change in enforcement activity between the Biden and Trump administrations. The 98,701 arrests represent a steep reduction from the levels recorded earlier in the decade, while CBP continues to handle other border security and public safety responsibilities.