The Department of Homeland Security reported a historic milestone. For the first time in agency history, Border Patrol released zero migrants into the country for a full fiscal year. This data comes as apprehensions along the southwest border plummeted.

New figures show a 95% drop in crossings compared to the average during Joe Biden’s term. Chris Clem led the Yuma Sector of U.S. Customs and Border Protection until he retired. He saw the chaos of the previous administration up close.

He now sees a stark contrast under Donald Trump’s enforcement strategy. Clem told Fox News Digital that the old system failed communities. Agents could not process people fast enough.

Migrants walked through agricultural fields in Yuma. They ran through towns and knocked on doors at night. They overwhelmed local food banks and businesses.

Clem recalled daily arrivals jumping from 25 in late 2020 to over 1,000 a year later. During a bad three-day stretch, agents faced nearly 1,500 arrivals. The strain was immense.

Clem said agents were outnumbered one hundred to one. Resources were scarce and weather was bad. The policy failure spilled out into neighborhoods.

The new reality is very different. Fiscal year 2026 saw only 98,708 apprehensions. That averages to about 270 people a day.

Under Biden, the average was roughly 5,000 per day. Clem credits this change to a simple shift in expectation. Smugglers used to promise clients they would be let go.

That promise drew people to the border. Clem said that incentive is now gone. People know they will not be processed and released.

This changes the calculus for illegal entry. Interior enforcement adds another layer of pressure. ICE operations inside the country make a clear point.

Crossing the border does not guarantee safety. Tom Homan, the border czar, highlighted record deportation numbers. He noted ICE removed more people in September than any other month.

He emphasized that removals continue to rise. Markwayne Mullin, the DHS Secretary, stated the data proves strong enforcement works. He said the results are clear.

Clem warned that the job is not finished. Smugglers still try to lure people with false hopes. Political winds in Washington could shift again.

Congress could pass laws that restrict enforcement. Funding decisions could hamper progress. Clem urged vigilance against policy reversals.

He noted that mixed messages help smugglers. Consistency is key to maintaining the current success. The numbers tell a clear story of reduction.

The strategy focuses on consequences rather than just barriers. Personnel and technology played a role too. But the end of automatic releases was the turning point.

Clem believes this approach is sustainable if politics allow it. The threat of deportation drives the decline in crossings. The community impact in Yuma has stabilized.

Agents are no longer overwhelmed by volume. They can focus on security rather than logistics. The fiscal year data stands as a benchmark.

It shows what happens when enforcement is prioritized. The contrast with the previous administration is sharp. Clem’s experience grounds the statistics in reality.

The human cost of the surge was high. The return to order has been rapid. The data supports the claim of a turnaround.

The question remains whether this can last. Clem believes it can if leaders stay committed. The tools for security are in place.

The will to use them is the variable.