Migrant crossings at US-Canada border drop amid immigration policy change

NEW YORK - A new report highlights a significant drop in migrant crossings along the U.S.-Canada border, with recent data showing a 60% decline in apprehensions from October to December of last year.

Some officials say the change is the result of policy shifts under the Trump administration, though some experts suggest the trend began under the previous administration.

Numbers drop as Trump immigration crackdown begins

What we know:

Federal data shows that border patrol apprehensions along the northern border spiked in previous years, but dropped sharply in late 2024. 

Between October and December, apprehensions fell by 60%, a stark contrast to the surge recorded over the summer.

FROM JULY: US-Canada illegal border crossings surge – and those migrants are heading to NYC
"It's very minimal, I personally haven't seen any immigrants locally since like November-ish," said Thomas Trombley, the Town Supervisor of Champlain, a town in Clinton County on the U.S./Canada border.

President Donald Trump campaigned on cracking down on illegal immigration, and his administration has moved quickly to enforce stricter border policies. This includes executive orders, increased ICE enforcement, deportation flights, and preparations to detain certain migrants at Guantanamo Bay.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson emphasized the administration’s stance, stating, "National security cannot exist without a secure border. Anything impeding our ability to protect America will not have a place in the United States Border Patrol moving forward."

Migrant encounters on the decline

The backstory:

According to Pew Research, after a record high number of migrant encounters in 2023, the monthly number of U.S. Border PAtrol encounters with migrants crossing the border into the United States from Mexico plummeted sharply in 2024. 

About 230,000 migrants have come to New York since spring 2022, but new arrivals have declined for 27 straight weeks and are now at the lowest point in more than a year, according to Mayor Eric Adams' administration.

Roughly 50,000 migrants are currently being housed in roughly 200 temporary sites, down from nearly 70,000 last January.

On Monday, the city shuttered the sprawling tent complex at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn that had housed hundreds of migrant families. 

What they're saying:

"Prior to the last several months, there would be a lot of people coming across the border and trying to give themselves up," said Major Nicholas Leon of the Clinton County Sheriff's Office. "That's not happening anymore."

Leon attributes the shift to policy changes under the Trump administration.

‘The old welcome mat is no longer valid’

The other side:

Despite the drop in crossings, some experts note that immigration enforcement efforts were already increasing under the Biden administration. Muzaffar Chisti of the Migration Policy Institute stated, "There is a totally new immigration regime in power—the message was sent clearly. Even by the Biden administration, the old welcome mat is no longer valid."

Chisti pointed out that President Biden signed executive orders in January and June of last year, both of which led to a significant decline in migrant crossings at both the northern and southern borders.

What's next:

While the latest numbers show a decline in border crossings, officials remain vigilant. 

"I and many feel that it's because of the new administration and the message that this will not be tolerated. And that’s what people wanted, essentially," Trombley said.

However, law enforcement officers warn that some migrants are still making the journey. 

"Those people coming across illegally are attempting to elude police and border patrol," Leon noted.

One major change, according to Leon, is that border patrol is no longer releasing migrants after processing. "Several months ago, you would pick up migrants, border patrol would process them, give them a court date, and release them. Now they’re detaining them, taking account of who they are but not releasing them in the same fashion as before."