11,964 border encounters in September 2026
Southwest border encounters have stayed near record lows since February 2025 (September 2026 was 88% below the same month of 2024). ICE held 65,765 people in detention on July 11, 2026, up from about 39,000 in January 2025, and reported 356,389 removals in fiscal year 2026 through July 11.
Border data from CBP through September 2026. Other figures last updated .
Encounters combine Border Patrol apprehensions between ports of entry and people deemed inadmissible at ports of entry. The last 12 months are compared with the same months in earlier years. Source: CBP monthly data.
| Month | 3 yrs earlier | 2 yrs earlier | 1 yr earlier | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 269,7352023 | 101,7902024 | 11,6472025 | 11,964 |
| August 2026 | 232,9632023 | 107,4732024 | 9,7312025 | 12,246 |
| July 2026 | 183,4792023 | 104,1002024 | 7,8222025 | 12,732 |
| June 2026 | 144,5562023 | 130,4152024 | 9,3002025 | 12,904 |
| May 2026 | 206,6902023 | 170,7162024 | 12,4502025 | 13,544 |
| April 2026 | 211,9922023 | 179,7372024 | 12,0232025 | 12,859 |
| March 2026 | 193,2492023 | 189,3592024 | 11,0112025 | 11,736 |
| February 2026 | 156,6302023 | 189,9132024 | 11,7102025 | 9,613 |
| January 2026 | 157,3582023 | 176,1952024 | 61,4452025 | 9,730 |
| December 2025 | 252,3152022 | 301,9812023 | 96,0332024 | 9,992 |
| November 2025 | 235,1732022 | 242,3992023 | 94,1832024 | 10,960 |
| October 2025 | 231,5292022 | 240,9272023 | 106,3162024 | 11,703 |
| Fiscal year (Oct–Sep) | All encounters | Border Patrol |
|---|---|---|
| FY2022 | 2,378,944 | 2,206,436 |
| FY2023 | 2,475,669 | 2,045,838 |
| FY2024 | 2,135,005 | 1,530,523 |
| FY2025 | 443,671 | 237,538 |
| FY2026 | 139,983 | 98,705 |
FY2025 includes October 2024 to January 19, 2025, under the previous administration. Totals summed from CBP’s CSV files; CBP revises recent months slightly.
CBP does not publish a monthly count of “gotaways” (people who evaded apprehension), so they are not included.
People held in ICE detention on a given day, from ICE data compiled by TRAC. “No conviction” includes people with criminal charges still pending.
| Date | Detained | No conviction |
|---|---|---|
| 39,703 | 73.6% | |
| 39,238 | 72.7% | |
| 46,269 | 70.3% | |
| 56,397 | 71.7% | |
| 61,226 | 70.3% | |
| 65,135 | 73.6% | |
| 68,442 | 73.9% | |
| Record high | 70,766 | 74.2% |
| 60,311 | 70.8% | |
| Latest ICE data | 65,765 | 70.6% |
On July 11, 2026, 19,329 detainees had a criminal conviction, 20,247 had pending charges and 26,189 had immigration violations only.
ICE has not published detention statistics since its July 20, 2026 release. CBS News reported about 68,000 people in detention in early August 2026, citing internal ICE data.
DHS’s public deportation totals are larger than ICE’s published removal data and have not been backed by released data. DHS totals appear to include returns and Border Patrol removals; its “self-deportation” figures are estimates. ICE has not published a fiscal year 2025 annual report.
| Figure | Value | Type |
|---|---|---|
| ICE removals, FY2026 (Oct 1, 2025 – Jul 11, 2026) As of July 11, 2026 | 356,389 | Official data |
| ICE removals and returns, FY2025 (DHS FY2027 budget justification) As of April 2026 | 442,637 | Official data |
| ICE removals, FY2025, compiled by TRAC from ICE postings As of November 24, 2025 | about 319,980 | Independent estimate |
| Removals in calendar 2025 (Brookings) As of January 2026 | about 310,000–315,000 | Independent estimate |
| Deportations since January 20, 2025, plus 2.2 million “self-deportations” As of January 21, 2026 | more than 675,000 | DHS claim |
| Deportations since January 20, 2025 (DHS statement to CBS News) As of July 12, 2026 | more than 985,000 | DHS claim |
ICE does not publish a regular arrest series. Monthly figures come from DHS statements and from ICE records obtained by the Deportation Data Project.
| Figure | Value | Type |
|---|---|---|
| ICE arrests in August 2026 (record month; July: 50,208; June: 43,900) As of September 2, 2026 | 50,925 | DHS claim |
| Share of people ICE arrested in July 2026 with no criminal conviction (Deportation Data Project, via NBC News; July 2025: 62.6%) As of September 11, 2026 | 73.5% | Independent estimate |
Major second-term actions and where they stand in the courts. More on Trump’s executive orders and the lawsuits against them.
In effect. Source
Held unlawful by a federal district court and the D.C. Circuit (April 24, 2026). The government’s Supreme Court petition (No. 26-239) is set for the November 6, 2026 conference. Source
Never took effect. The Supreme Court struck it down 6–3 in Trump v. Barbara on June 30, 2026. Source
CBP One scheduling ended the same day. Source
Suspension in place; the Ninth Circuit found it likely lawful on March 5, 2026. Source
Law (Pub. L. 119-1). Source
Largely idle: CBS News counted 832 people transferred in total and 6 held on May 11, 2026. Source
The Supreme Court required notice and habeas review (April 7 and May 16, 2025). The deportees were returned to Venezuela in a July 18, 2025 prisoner exchange. The Fifth Circuit (en banc) dismissed the main challenge as moot on August 13, 2026. Source
The Supreme Court let the termination proceed on May 30, 2025. Source
In effect. Source
Expanded to 39 countries by Proclamation 10998 (December 16, 2025), effective January 1, 2026. Source
Courts ordered the deployment ended in December 2025; troops were out by January 2026. Deployments in Portland and Chicago ended after the Supreme Court denied a stay in Trump v. Illinois (December 23, 2025). Source
Birthright citizenship challenges continued as class actions. Source
Law. New fees include $100 per asylum application and $1,000 for parole. Source
Ongoing. A district judge ruled it unlawful; the D.C. Circuit stayed that ruling and heard the appeal on October 14, 2026. Source
Vacated by a federal court in Massachusetts on June 8, 2026. Extended by proclamation to September 2027, but collection remains blocked. Source
Raised to 17,500 on May 21, 2026. Source
The blanket asylum pause was rolled back around March 30, 2026. A federal court in Rhode Island vacated the remaining holds on June 5, 2026. Source
Two U.S. citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot by federal immigration agents in January 2026. Trump announced the operation’s end on February 12, 2026. Source
Ended April 30, 2026; ICE and CBP continued to draw on 2025 reconciliation funds. Source
Incumbent. Source
Final. 13 of the 17 TPS designations in place in January 2025 have now been terminated, according to the Congressional Research Service. Source
Preliminarily enjoined for a certified class on September 2, 2026. Source
In effect. Source
Argument not yet scheduled. Source
CBP recorded 11,964 southwest border encounters in September 2026, of which 8,936 were Border Patrol apprehensions between ports of entry. In fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 to September 2026) there were 139,983 encounters, 93% fewer than the 2,135,005 in fiscal year 2024.
ICE’s latest published data show 65,765 people in detention on July 11, 2026; 70.6% had no criminal conviction. The record was 70,766 on January 25, 2026. The population was about 39,000 when Trump took office. ICE has not published newer figures since July 2026.
ICE data show 356,389 removals in fiscal year 2026 through July 11, 2026. For fiscal year 2025, DHS’s budget documents report 442,637 removals and returns. DHS has publicly claimed larger totals, more than 985,000 deportations as of July 2026, plus millions of “self-deportations,” but has not published the underlying data. Independent analysts, such as Brookings, estimate roughly 310,000–315,000 removals in calendar 2025.
No. The Supreme Court ruled 6–3 in Trump v. Barbara on June 30, 2026, that Executive Order 14160 was unconstitutional. A narrower order signed August 6, 2026 (EO 14418) was preliminarily blocked for a certified class of children on September 2, 2026.
Markwayne Mullin has been Secretary of Homeland Security since March 24, 2026, after Trump removed Kristi Noem. David Venturella has been acting ICE Director since June 1, 2026, and Rodney Scott is CBP Commissioner.
Figures labeled “DHS claim” are the department’s own statements and have not been independently verified. See also CBP’s interactive dashboard.
TrumpInsight Editorial Team
News & Research Desk
Border figures are read from CBP’s published data files; detention, removal and policy information is compiled from ICE, DHS, TRAC, court records and major news outlets and re-checked as new data are released.
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