In February, Border Patrol agents recorded only 8,300 illegal crossings, the lowest monthly total in decades. This trend began last summer when then-President Joe Biden imposed stricter eligibility restrictions for asylum, and Mexico intensified efforts to intercept migrants.
To date, DHS has invested nearly $2.4 million in advertising across various U.S. markets, presenting striking montages of immigration arrests, mugshots of migrants accused of crimes, and images of President Donald Trump standing at the border. These ads are broadcast in multiple languages and have been spread across metropolitan areas such as New York, Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix, Arizona, and Los Angeles, as well as in more rural areas in the Texas border region.
This week, the Trump administration also announced the launch of the CBP Home app, a renovation of the CBP One app used by the Biden administration for hundreds of thousands of migrants to schedule appointments to apply for entry at a legal border crossing. Trump is urging Congress to approve more funding to carry out the crackdown at a time when unauthorized crossings at the southern border continue to decline, and more troops are being deployed as part of a military increase.
The Donald Trump administration has initiated a $200 million media campaign aimed at persuading undocumented immigrants to voluntarily leave the United States. Under the slogan "Stay Out and Leave Now," the advertising campaign is combined with a self-reporting exit application launched this week and warnings from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that those who do not leave will be captured and permanently banned from returning. "Leave now. Let’s be clear: if you come to our country and violate our laws, we will chase you," Noem stated in a national ad.
The effort for mass detentions and deportations promised by the Trump administration got off to a quick and costly start following its inauguration in January. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has recorded approximately 33,000 detentions since then. Despite the measures taken, the pace has slowed down, leading to multiple leadership changes within the agency. Noem warns in a national ad that illegal criminals cannot come to the United States and will never return.
