Stephen Miller phones US ambassador to Mexico almost daily to rant about border crossing numbers, report says

Detailed summary

Miller reportedly ‘rails’ about the number of illegal border crossings to U.S. ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson, despite numbers dropping to their lowest point in years

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White House chief of staff Stephen Miller calls up the U.S. ambassador to Mexico almost daily to complain about the number of border crossings and has set a near-impossible target, according to a report.

Miller, who was last week promoted from deputy to the second most powerful job in the country, is said to regularly “rail” about the number of illegal border crossings on the phone to Ronald Johnson, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, despite numbers dropping to their lowest point in years, The New York Times reports.

The chief of staff, known as the architect of the Trump administration’s hardline anti-immigration campaign, has reportedly set a new goal of zero crossings at the border.

Mexican officials told the newspaper that it was “simply not possible” given the 2,000-mile-long border.

The calls have reportedly ramped up in recent months due to a slight rise in the number of illegal border crossings. Border crossings drastically dropped in February 2024, almost a year before Trump took office, and in 2025 they were at their lowest level since 1970, according to government data.

“On day one, President Trump took action to secure our border. He has delivered the most secure border in American history,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis told the outlet.

The White House previously credited Miller for his role in helping the president achieve “historic results” with illegal immigration.

The Independent has contacted the office of the U.S. ambassador to Mexico for comment.

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