JD Vance claims there was major drop in illegal immigration under Trump, cites 3 million migrant departures

Detailed summary

JD Vance cited 98,708 border apprehensions and zero migrant releases in FY2026, while claiming 3 million migrants left the US under Trump.

US Vice President JD Vance has credited President Donald Trump’s immigration policies for a sharp decline in illegal immigration, claiming more than three million migrants have left the country during Trump’s second term and that Border Patrol recorded zero migrant releases into the US interior during fiscal year 2026.

In a post on X, Vance said the administration had gone 17 consecutive months without releasing apprehended undocumented migrants into the country’s interior, describing the figures as evidence of a major shift in border enforcement.

“Turns out all we needed was a new President!” Vance wrote, listing what he described as the administration’s achievements in immigration enforcement.

The vice president said total Border Patrol apprehensions during FY2026 stood at 98,708, a figure he claimed was lower than the Biden administration’s highest monthly apprehension total of 249,740.

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Vance said FY2026 marked the first fiscal year in US history with zero Border Patrol releases, referring to apprehended migrants not being released into the country's interior while their immigration cases proceeded.

The administration has largely ended the practice commonly known as catch-and-release, under which some migrants apprehended at the border were temporarily released into the US.

The figures cited by Vance are consistent with preliminary data released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in October. CBP reported 98,708 southwest border apprehensions during FY2026, alongside 379,243 nationwide encounters, which DHS described as the lowest annual total on record.

However, zero releases does not mean zero illegal crossings. Border Patrol continues to apprehend migrants attempting to enter the US, while some crossings go undetected.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Hindustan Times. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.