In November 2024, there was a decrease in operations at the border between Mexico and the United States, with a total of 71 carried out throughout the month, making it the third lowest since October 2021. So far this fiscal year, from October 2024 to February 2025, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has reported 308 incidents of weapon seizures at the border, with a total of 360 handguns, 108 long guns, and two explosive devices confiscated.
The administration of Donald Trump is preparing to reintroduce the Title 42 policy, which would allow immigration officials to quickly expel migrants citing potential disease transmission risks such as tuberculosis. According to reports from CBS News, this measure would revive a border action that was initially instituted at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 to facilitate immediate expulsions of immigrants.
The administration of Joe Biden maintained this policy until it expired in 2023, when illegal crossings at the U.S. southern border were at record levels. The reinstatement of Title 42 would add another layer to the border measures implemented by President Trump to restrict the U.S. asylum system, according to CBS's report.
President Trump has justified these measures under Section 212(f), which allows presidents to deny entry to foreigners deemed harmful to the United States. In this case, he would be using the Public Health Service Act, Title 42 of the U.S. Code, to authorize the expulsion of immigrants without following the processes outlined in federal immigration law that allows those on U.S. soil to apply for asylum.
Before the Title 42 policy was eliminated in May 2023, the Mexican Ministry of the Interior recorded more than 2.8 million expulsions of migrants under this provision. On the other hand, in January 2025, the CBP reported that 66 weapon seizure operations occurred at the border, marking the month with the fewest events since October 2021. Of these operations, 20 involved weapons leaving the United States, 22 were related to weapon trafficking into the country, and 24 were categorized as "other." This figure represented a 16% decrease compared to December 2024, when 79 operations were recorded.
