The House Committee on Homeland Security has released a “Border Brief” factsheet highlighting record-low border encounters at the start of Fiscal Year 2026. Attributing the success to Trump administration policies and congressional funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill, the report suggests a significant shift in national security and enforcement effectiveness.

Nationwide encounters in October and November 2025 totaled 60,940 — a 28 percent reduction from previous record lows and the lowest start to any fiscal year on record. Specifically, Southwest border apprehensions between ports of entry plummeted to 7,350 in November, representing an 84 percent decrease year-over-year. Daily apprehension averages have dropped by 95 percent compared to the prior administration. Notably, for seven consecutive months, the Border Patrol reported releasing no inadmissible aliens into the interior.

Beyond the numbers, the Committee emphasized targeted enforcement against violent criminals and drug traffickers. Key achievements include:

Vulnerable Populations: The administration located over 62,000 unaccompanied children previously released to unvetted sponsors. Counter-Smuggling: While nationwide fentanyl seizures dropped 45 percent in FY25 — interpreted by officials as a sign of successful deterrence — CBP still seized over 1,500 pounds of the drug in November alone. Maritime Shifts: As land routes become more difficult to navigate, smuggling has shifted toward the sea. This was highlighted by a record Coast Guard seizure of 49,000 pounds of narcotics valued at over $362 million.

“Thanks to the work of our federal law enforcement our borders had yet another month of record low encounters,” GOP House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) said. “The historic investments in border security provided in the One Big Beautiful Bill made these successes possible, and I look forward to continued partnership with the administration to extend these historic successes throughout FY26. The Committee will continue working with the Trump administration to ensure our frontline personnel have the tools, resources, and support they need to carry out their mission and keep our homeland secure.”

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Subcommittee Chairman Michael Guest added, “2025 has been a record year for border security. I’m honored to work with President Trump to keep our border secure now and into 2026. Thank you, President Trump, for keeping your promise to secure the border.”

Recent testimony from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI officials further underscored the focus on ensuring law enforcement has the resources necessary to maintain these security gains.

Even alleged MS-13 gangbanger Kilmar Abrego Garcia will be home for the holidays.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis extended an order preventing federal authorities from re-detaining Abrego Garcia Monday.

The federal judge cited concerns that the administration might try to arrest Abrego Garcia “in the middle of the night” before he could face justice, according to The Washington Post.

“Once again, I’m making a finding that these representations, which are misrepresentations, are in bad faith,” she told Justice Department lawyer Ernesto H. Molina Jr., adding that she was “beyond impatient” with the Trump administration’s lawyers, whom she accused of putting false information in their legal briefs, the outlet reported.

Xinis ordered Abrego Garcia’s release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, on December 11, saying that the federal government had no legal basis to detain him.

The Trump administration deported Abrego Garcia to his home country of El Salvador in March due to an “administrative error.”

Abrego Garcia, who entered the U.S. illegally in 2011, was brought back to the U.S. in June on human smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop. During the incident, Abrego Garcia was pulled over while hauling eight other passengers.

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Authorities became suspicious when they didn’t see any luggage in the car, despite the group having traveled for days from Texas to Maryland. A responding officer noted that he suspected “a human trafficking incident.”

They ultimately let Abrego Garcia go with a citation for driving with an expired license.

The federal government now has until Friday to provide its plans for Abrego Garcia, his attorney said.

“So, as of right now, Mr. Abrego Garcia is gonna return to his home with his wife and his children and his family members in Maryland. And he will be at home through Christmas and New Year,” the lawyer told a crowd of cheering supporters outside the courthouse Monday.

Abrego Garcia quickly became a darling of many Democratic lawmakers, including Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, who paid him a visit while he was detained in El Salvador.

Along with the human smuggling allegations, Abrego Garcia was tagged as a member of MS-13 in a 2019 Maryland police report and a 2018 court filing.

He was also twice accused of beating his wife, who previously applied for protective orders against him. She has since emerged as one of his most vocal advocates against his deportation.