Heriberto Perez Lara
EL PASO, Texas / CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) — Border Patrol El Paso Sector kicked off Fiscal Year 2026 with 1,381 reported migrant encounters in October of this year; in September, they recorded 1,447.
ABC-7 reported last month that Border Patrol closed Fiscal Year 2025 with an 81.6% drop in the El Paso Sector alone and an 84.5% decrease across the entire border strip.
“The dedicated men and women of CBP have delivered another month of historic results – the lowest border crossings of any October in history,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. “Six straight months of zero releases at the border. That’s real enforcement, real consequences. And with record tariff collections safeguarding America’s economic sovereignty, we’re operating the most secure border this nation has ever seen.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection says border enforcement “keeps reaching historic levels.”
In a news release, they said encounters remained “historically low,” comparing them with the Biden Administration.
30,573 total encounters nationwide — 92% below the peak of the Biden administration’s 370,883
7,989 Border Patrol apprehensions on the southwest border — 95% lower than the monthly average of the Biden administration, and less than what was apprehended in five days in October 2024
258 USBP apprehensions per day on the southwest border — 95% lower than the daily average under the Biden administration, and less than the number apprehended every two hours under the Biden administration
Zero parole releases — compared to 10,009 released by the Border Patrol under the Biden administration along the southwest border in October 2024
ABC-7 spoke with the Special Operations Supervisor for Border Patrol in the El Paso Sector today, Hamid Nikseresht, who says they have apprehended 244 people in the last seven days. The weekly average for the same period over the past four years was 3,300 people. The current average of encounters per day here in El Paso is 34 migrants since Fiscal Year 2026 started last month.
Last year, 2,100 people were apprehended. The year before that, over 5,000, and the year before that, over 12,000, in just the same seven days of this year.
Right now, the El Paso Sector has almost 1,000 military personnel supporting the border mission: 660 from the Department of War (DoW) and 280 from the Texas Military Department (TMD).
“They’re bringing infrastructure with them, they’re putting out triple-strand concertina wire on the fence, making it more difficult to climb, they’re clearing out brush from the river, making it easier for agents to see if someone’s in that river who needs help,” said agent Nikseresht. “They’re also bringing technology with them, technology to combat aerial drones, technology to detect people trying to make illegal entry, all sorts of stuff that really help and complement what we’re doing down here on the border.”
This Fiscal Year 2026 so far, Border Patrol El Paso Sector has recorded 103 rescues and three deaths, which is a 99% decrease from what the sector saw from 2021-2024.
“These are life-changing injuries; we certainly don’t want to see them happen, we’ve seen them happen in the past and like I was saying, especially in the last four years, but what we have noticed is when you increase enforcement, you create a more humane border,” agent Nikseresht added. “Deaths decrease, rescues ultimately decrease because fewer and fewer people are coming to the border to try to get in.”
This ongoing border enforcement and decrease in migrant encounters, rescues, and deaths has also impacted the pockets of transnational criminal organizations in Ciudad Juárez.
“We took a look at just one cross-section from February last year to July, and we estimated that there was a $1.3 billion loss to the cartels and foreign terrorist organizations operating right here in Ciudad Juárez,” said agent Nikseresht. “Every piece of concertina wire we put out, every time we put out a piece of infrastructure, that’s dollars out of the pockets of those organizations to be able to do the things that they want to do globally, worldwide.”
Border Patrol, along with other U.S. federal agencies, also continues to work with their Mexican counterparts and other law enforcement agencies to deter illegal crossings into the country.
“That greatly enhances our capability for any detection for things before they reach our border,” agent Nikseresht added. “If we can stop it before it comes to our border, that’s the best place to stop it before we even have to do anything about it here.”
Border Patrol wants to remind anyone considering crossing the border illegally not to do so, as they will face consequences. The establishment of the National Defense Areas has helped reduce the number of illegal crossings due to increased military patrols.
“Throughout that area, we have military personnel who have been deputized as well, who do have detain authority. Those people are then turned over to Border Patrol,” said agent Nikseresht. “People caught illegally entering the United States will face prosecution under Title 8, which can be punishable. If they re-enter the first time, they’re subject to Title 8 U.S.C. § 1325, and that’s punishable by up to a year; if they re-enter again, it’s punishable by up to ten years, and in certain cases, up to 20 years in prison for aggravated felons.”
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