EXCLUSIVE — Leaked government data set to be publicly released in the coming weeks show the number of illegal immigrants apprehended by Border Patrol for attempting to enter the country illegally from Mexico declined by more than 2 million in President Donald Trump’s first full fiscal year in office compared to his predecessor’s year one.

Internal numbers from Customs and Border Protection obtained by the Washington Examiner on Tuesday revealed Border Patrol agents assigned to the southern border arrested just under 98,701 illegal immigrants in fiscal 2026, which ran from October 2025 through September 2026, making it the lowest annual total in at least 59 years. An average of 8,225 were encountered each month.