Border Patrol announces 'phenomenal' turnaround as number of monthly migrant releases drops to zero
New Border Patrol data shows not a single illegal migrant was released into the United States last month, signaling an overwhelming turnaround since 62,000 were released into the country under the Biden administration at the same time last year.
"It's phenomenal," U.S. Border Patrol chief Michael Banks told Fox News Wednesday.
"Anybody that cares about national security knows that, under the last administration, we were breaking record numbers of people that were coming into the country illegally and that were being released into the country… And to go from over 62,000 down to zero, we're breaking record numbers in the right direction now."
Banks told "Fox & Friends" co-host Ainsley Earhardt that, while the Border Patrol is refraining from declaring victory on the issue, "we are fast approaching it."
"We are closer to operational security of the border than we've ever had," he shared.
"Two days ago, we broke another record – 141 entries at the southwest border. Those entries are all apprehended, and none of them will be released."
Banks thanked President Donald Trump for supporting his agency and for providing its agents with the tools necessary to make communities – and the nation – safer.
"We've said all along that the United States Border Patrol knows how to secure the border. We just need leadership, and with the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Noem, we are proving exactly what we've been saying for years: Let us enforce the laws, and we'll get the job done."
"I think the American people are seeing that... And we're just getting started. We're not even close to being done."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
16 minutes ago
- CNN
US seizes record $225 million from crypto investment scammers
US law enforcement has seized over $225 million in cryptocurrency allegedly stolen from dozens of American victims as part of a sophisticated investment scam, the Justice Department said Wednesday. It's the largest-ever seizure of funds stolen in so-called 'crypto confidence' scams, which dupe people into investing in fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes, the department said. The scam affected more than 400 people worldwide, including dozens of Americans, and caused millions of dollars in losses, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday. The scammers conducted 'hundreds of thousands' of transactions in an effort to launder the stolen cryptocurrency, according to the Justice Department. The US government now has possession of the stolen crypto and will be working to return as much of it as possible to victims, Shawn Bradstreet, a special agent in charge at the Secret Service, said at a news conference on Wednesday. Losses from crypto investment scams have surged in recent years. Victims reported nearly $4 billion in crypto-related investment losses in 2023 compared to $2.57 billion in 2022, according to the FBI. That number increased to $5.8 billion in 2024. The FBI and Secret Service are trying to do more to sound the alarm that the crypto-investment scams could ruin Americans' lives and those of their loved ones. CNN reported last year on one American man in his 80s who took his own life after losing all his savings to scammers. A large volume of crypto confidence scams— also referred to as 'pig butchering' — are conducted by networks of scammers in Southeast Asia, according to US law enforcement. A CNN investigation has traced some of the schemes to large compounds along the Myanmar-Thailand border. In this case, investigators traced at least some of the fraudulent activity to the Philippines. 'These scams prey on trust, often resulting in extreme financial hardship for the victims,' Bradstreet, the Secret Service agent, said in a statement. For some US law enforcement officials, Wednesday's crackdown is a welcome sign that the Trump administration will continue to pursue prolific networks of crypto scammers. An April memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche accused the Biden administration of using prosecutions to effectively impose regulations on the cryptocurrency industry, raising concerns among some law enforcement agents that the new department leadership would not aggressively pursue crypto scams. The memo also disbanded the Justice Department's National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, which the Biden administration set up in 2022 to pursue criminal misuse of crypto and other digital assets. But Jeanine Pirro, the interim US attorney for the District of Columbia, said at a news conference Wednesday that prosecutors would go after the scammers. 'This is an unregulated Wild West,' Pirro said of crypto-related crime. 'But it's not just an unregulated Wild West. It's the Wild North, East and South.'
CNN
16 minutes ago
- CNN
Trump promised a peacemaker presidency. What happened?
It wasn't a one-off statement from President Donald Trump that he would end wars and bring about world peace during a second White House term. It was a major plank of his presidential campaign. The whole world is blowing up under him. Trump on Biden at CNN's June 2024 presidential debate Trump promised a calmer world during his debate with then-President Joe Biden last June. Biden's poor performance and the perception that Trump would be a stronger leader helped drive Biden from the race. Things have not settled down on the world stage since Trump took office. In fact, there's a new conflict brewing and Trump is actively considering US military strikes against Iran, warning that Iran's nuclear capabilities are more developed than his own intelligence community has assessed. Americans now looking at the real possibility of the US joining Israel's strike at Iran could wonder what happened to the Trump who promised peace on the campaign trail. These are wars that will never end with him. Trump at CNN's June 2024 presidential debate Trump frequently criticized Biden for the fact that Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas both happened on Biden's watch. '(Biden) will drive us into World War III, and we're closer to World War III than anybody can imagine,' Trump said. Trump's openness to using US firepower to help Israel in its offensive against Iran could be interpreted as a complete flip from his repeated promises to be more judicious with American firepower and focus on US interests before everything else. At a National Guard conference in Detroit last August where he was endorsed by Tulsi Gabbard, an anti-war former Democratic member of Congress from Hawaii who is now his director of national intelligence, Trump said Democrats and Independents would vote for him in part because he would end wars. We're uniting forces to end the endless foreign wars. Trump on Gabbard's endorsement 'I am confident that his first task will be to do the work to walk us back from the brink of war,' Gabbard said at the same event, explaining her support for Trump. 'We cannot be prosperous unless we are at peace.' It was seen as an important shift in Republican foreign policy, as Trump veered away from the neoconservative school of thought that led the US into the war in Iraq, and from the post-World War II mindset that the US should help foster democracy around the world. There is now a major rift brewing in the GOP over Iran. One example: Tucker Carlson, a major Trump backer in the conservative online media echo chamber, who opposes US involvement in Israel's attacks, confronted Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican, during a combative interview posted to the social media platform X. I will have that war settled between Putin and Zelenskyy. Trump at CNN's June 2024 presidential debate Trump's peace promises have been difficult to achieve. The war in Ukraine would be over, Trump promised at the debate, 'before I take office on January 20th.' The war is still far from over and Trump has expressed frustration at his inability to stop it. Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza also continues, despite Trump's promise to quickly end it. Trump argued at the debate that he would be more effective on the world stage than Biden because world leaders don't respect the Democrat. 'They don't fear him. They have nothing going with this gentleman and he's going to drive us into World War III.' But Trump has been unable to persuade or pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into ending the war with Ukraine. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck Iran without Trump's approval — though the administration was aware the move was coming — and now it is Trump moving toward Israel's position rather than the other way around. When I'm back in the White House, we will expel the warmongers, the profiteers … and we will restore world peace. Trump at the 2024 National Guard conference Instead of surrounding himself with people who would take the US into war, Trump promised a new kind of staff to build a much more powerful military that would keep wars from breaking out. 'It will be again peace through strength,' he said at the National Guard conference. Yet his current position on Iran aligns more with old school Republicans who did not shy away from using American military might. I ended wars. Trump at the 2024 National Guard conference in Detroit Trump spoke frequently on the campaign trail about the need to avert World War III, something he said he could achieve. Perhaps joining Israel in its effort against Iran, if that's what Trump ultimately decides to do, will be a step in that direction. But he did not mention such detours during the campaign. 'I could have been in a mess like you have right now,' Trump said alongside Gabbard. 'You have every place, the whole world is blowing up. Yes, World War III if something doesn't happen fast. And that's going to be a world war like no others because of nuclear power and other power that's out there.' Promising peace is something that extended into Trump's inaugural address. 'We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into,' he said. Now Trump is using the language of war, demanding 'unconditional surrender' from Iran in social media posts even though the US and Iran are not technically at war and Trump still says he wants Iran to come to the negotiating table. Iran could still obviously negotiate an end to Israel's attack, which is happening with more and more support from the US. Trump is still weighing whether that support will include military force. For now, he is not acting as a unifier, though that's what he promised Americans in his second inaugural. My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. Trump's second inaugural address 'That's what I want to be: a peacemaker and a unifier,' he said. His time in office so far has not, at least not yet, been the era of peace.
The Hill
16 minutes ago
- The Hill
Five takeaways from Tucker Carlson's interview with Ted Cruz
Pundit Tucker Carlon published a nearly two-hour interview with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Wednesday, during which the two conservative firebrands debated President Trump's foreign policy, the future of the Middle East and America's place in the world. The conversation was decidedly contentious, at times deteriorating into shouting and insults, punctuated by a short clip Carlson published on Tuesday evening showing him quizzing Cruz on Iran's population, which for hours drove social media buzz around the full interview's release. Cruz went on the offensive on Wednesday morning, blasting Carlson over his framing of their back and forth and urging listeners of his 'Verdict' podcast to listen to the full interview he granted the former Fox News host. Here are five takeaways from the interview. As he opened the interview, Carlson asked the Republican lawmaker why he has voiced support for regime change in Iran and potential U.S. military action to prevent the country from obtaining nuclear weapons. The pundit needled Cruz about the benefit of the U.S. sending money to Israel as it fights Iran and suggested lawmakers on Capitol Hill are being influenced by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which raises money for Cruz along with many other lawmakers on Capitol Hill. 'Everyone is obsessed with Israel,' Cruz exclaimed as Carlson drilled down on the money in politics phenomenon, to which Carlson replied, 'I'm not obsessed with Israel,' before saying 'I've never taken money from Israel, have you?' Cruz conceded AIPAC 'raises a lot of money for me' and lamented the fact the lobbying group 'is not more effective' in Washington. The Texas senator said he came to Congress with the explicit intention of being a staunch defender of Israel and expressed no regret about his posture toward Iran or other Middle Eastern entities that seek to harm the U.S. ally. Carlson countered that AIPAC is effectively a 'foreign lobby' and suggested its influence could lead the U.S. into a costly war. Carlson insisted during his conversation with Cruz that he believes in 'self-defense,' and would support military action against a foreign government if it was trying to harm the U.S. president. After Carlson noted Cruz's stated belief that the Iranian government is trying to hurt Trump, he asked him 'why don't you support military action right now against Iran?' Cruz told Carlson that 'nobody disputes' the Iranians wish to harm Trump, to which the former cable news host said, 'I'm disputing it.' 'What other conspiracy theories do you believe, Tucker,' Cruz shouted back. 'Did we land on the moon, was 9/11 an inside job?' Before moving on, Carlson said Cruz's 'logic train has a massive hole in it,' dismissing the senator's attacking him as a conspiracy theorist and saying he 'wasn't into the slurs … antisemite, I just don't like that … I'm telling you what I believe.' The conversation took sudden and a tense turn after Carlson peppered Cruz on Iran's population, which the senator dismissed, calling the line of questioning 'snide.' 'You engage in reckless rhetoric with no facts,' Cruz said, admonishing the former cable news host whom he earlier called a 'brave' voice on issues like the coronavirus pandemic and immigration. 'I'm not calling for the overthrow of a government, you are,' Carlson said as Cruz pointed at him. The Republican lawmaker later read a direct quote from President Trump criticizing comments from Carlson and others questioning his strategy on the Middle East, and advocating against U.S. involvement in Israel's war with Iran. 'I never attacked Donald Trump, I campaigned for Donald Trump,' Carlson shrugged, defending himself. 'I love Trump.' The president criticized Carlson directly earlier this week, calling him 'kooky' over his comments on the Middle East and taking a dig at the former cable host, saying he should share his opinions on 'a television network and say it so that people listen.' The commentator told Cruz he spoke to Trump this week and insisted 'I think we should be very careful about entering into more foreign wars that don't help us when our country is dying.' After their debate about Trump's position on Iran, Carlson accused Cruz of 'presiding over' some of the country's biggest 'foreign policy disasters' in recent years, calling attention to the Republican's support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. 'You've been spending the last three years telling us that Valdimir Putin is evil and we're gonna beat him with other people's children,' Carlson said, raising his voice. 'And you've never apologized for that.' A seemingly irritated Cruz sat up in his chair and shot back, 'the number of falsehoods you lay out in one sentence is rather astonishing.' 'The war against Russia was caused by Joe Biden's weakness,' Cruz continued. But Carlson was not satisfied. 'You supported the war,' he again asked him, insisting 'shouldn't you apologize.' 'You should apologize,' Cruz shouted at the pundit, before stopping himself and scoffing, 'I'm not going to engage in the demanding of apologies.' Carlson has for years criticized U.S. involvement in the war in Ukraine and stirred controversy with an interview he landed Russian President Vladimir Putin after launching his own media company. Carlson's conversation with Putin came during a reporting trip to Moscow, during which he praised the country's economy and infrastructure. After Carlson published his interview with the Republican lawmaker, Cruz sought to discredit the pundit's framing of their conversation and criticized the former Fox host on a subsequent episode of his 'Verdict' podcast. 'Did a long interview w/ Tucker. He released a snippet playing a 'gotcha' on the population of Iran. I declined to play that silly game,' Cruz wrote on social media late Tuesday. 'WATCH the full 2-hr interview, where Tucker ATTACKS Trump, attacks the 'AIPAC lobby,' & falsely claims Iran is NOT trying to assassinate Trump.' In a subsequent social media post, Cruz asked why Carlson 'refuses to acknowledge' what he called an 'indisputable truth' about the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy. 'Facts don't care about your feelings Tucker, and they certainly won't bend to your narrative,' the senator said. Cruz released a new episode of his Verdict podcast after the short clip of their back and forth on the population of Iran was published but before the full interview was released on Carlson's X account. 'On foreign policy, Tucker has gone bat-crap crazy. He's gone off the rails,' Cruz said, arguing the pundit is misreading what the American people want from Trump. 'I think the American people want a president who's going to say, 'We will protect ourselves against people who want to kill us,' he said. 'That's exactly what Donald Trump is doing.'
