Former Border Patrol chief recalls Biden migrant surge chaos as Trump crackdown delivers historic turnaround

President Donald Trump’s border crackdown has sharply reduced the illegal crossings that overwhelmed agents under former President Joe Biden, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reporting Thursday historic lows in apprehensions and a full fiscal year without Border Patrol releasing migrants into the country.

For retired Yuma Arizona Sector U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol Chief Chris Clem, the turnaround stands in sharp contrast to days when his agents could not pick up migrants fast enough and the consequences spilled into neighborhoods, farms and local businesses.

"They just started walking through the agriculture fields. They started running through town," Clem told Fox News Digital, recalling the surge in December 2021. "They started going to the food bank. They started knocking on people’s doors at all hours of the nights." 

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But while Clem said he credits stronger enforcement and the prospect of deportation with helping drive the decline, he warned that the gains could face another threat — a political shift in Washington.

"There are a lot of policy decisions that can be really jammed up by a Congress that’s gung-ho to overturn what this president has done," said Clem, who warned that changes in congressional control could complicate enforcement through funding decisions and policy restrictions, while a future presidential administration could pursue broader reversals.

Preliminary DHS figures released Thursday show Border Patrol recorded 98,708 southwest border apprehensions in fiscal year 2026, roughly 95% below the annual average of more than 1.8 million during the Biden administration.

That translates to about 270 apprehensions a day across the southwest border, compared with roughly 5,000 using the department’s Biden-era annual average.

In Yuma alone, Clem recalled daily arrivals climbing from roughly 25 in December 2020, to more than 1,000 by December 2021. During a particularly difficult three-day stretch that month, he said, daily arrivals approached 1,500.

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Weather problems and a shortage of resources compounded the strain, leaving agents struggling to transport people from the border, he said.

"That was really when it, you know, was the most critical for me because we had the true community impact of a failed border security policy out of Washington, D.C.," Clem said.

His agents remained committed to the mission, he said, but the volume was overwhelming.

"The agents, their heads were in the right place. They knew they had to do the job," Clem said. "But when you’re outnumbered, literally 100 to one, it’s very difficult."

The new DHS figures put an entire fiscal year of southwest border apprehensions below half the 249,740 recorded during the Biden administration’s single busiest month.

DHS also said September marked the 17th consecutive month without Border Patrol releasing migrants into the country, completing what it described as the agency’s first full fiscal year with zero releases.

DHS TOUTS MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT DEPARTURES AS BORDER CROSSINGS DROP 94% UNDER TRUMP

Clem said the prospect of being released had given smugglers a powerful selling point during the previous administration.

"If you get to the border, you’re gonna be processed, and you’ll be let go," he said, describing the pitch.

He argued that changing that expectation is central to discouraging illegal crossings.

"They know that they’re not gonna be processed and released, which was the status quo under the Biden-Harris administration," Clem said.

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He credited a combination of personnel, infrastructure, technology and consequences for illegal entry, rather than any single measure.

The enforcement effort also extends beyond the border itself.

Clem said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations inside the country add another layer, making clear that getting past Border Patrol does not eliminate the possibility of arrest and removal.

"When you combine the strong border posture, as well as the strong and robust interior enforcement, it’s a recipe for success," he said.

Border czar Tom Homan pointed to that interior enforcement push Thursday, saying ICE had recorded its highest single-day deportation total since Trump returned to office.

TRUMP DHS HITS 16 STRAIGHT MONTHS WITH 0 RELEASES AT THE BORDER

"We are deportation-maxxing—firing on all cylinders while still expanding our capabilities to ramp up removals beyond current record-breaking levels," Homan wrote on social media.

Homan said he visited ICE Air Operations in Alexandria, Louisiana, to observe removal operations, including a flight returning Haitians he said had criminal records involving aggravated assault, sexual assault, kidnapping, battery and other offenses.

He also said ICE conducted more removals in September than in any other month, though his post did not provide totals or specify the comparison period. Fiscal year 2026 figures were still being finalized, he said.

The ICE removal figures measure a separate part of the immigration system from Border Patrol apprehensions and releases.

"President Trump promised the American people a secure border, and the data proves he delivered," DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement announcing the border figures. "The results could not be clearer: strong enforcement works."

Still, Clem cautioned that lower numbers do not eliminate threats from smugglers or people trying to evade detection.

"There are always gonna be that risk where somebody does sneak through. Who is that person?" he said.

He argued that mixed political messages can also give smugglers an opening to lure people into dangerous journeys with promises that U.S. policies will change.

"When our policies aren’t clear and transparent, and we’re not holding ourselves accountable, it’s a marketing tool for the smuggling organizations," he said.

For Clem, the distinction between debating immigration policy and maintaining border security is essential.

"We have an immigration issue we need to address," he said. "We need to find a way to retain and recruit those that are here, that are foreign nationals that want to contribute."

"But none of that should matter when it comes down to securing the border," Clem added. "We should always be looking at keeping America safe."