Colombian Cocaine Cartel Kingpins in US Custody
Also: Illegal Crossings Plummet at US Borders
This week’s US Border Newsletter leads with some breaking news from Tampa where the weekend began with the extradition of seven cartel leaders from Colombia. The FBI says they were responsible for trafficking thousands of kilos of cocaine from the Venezuela-Colombia border to Mexican cartels, ultimately destined for U.S. streets.
In other news:
CBP publishes February border data: As the Trump administration shut down asylum access at the border and canceled the CBP One program, the number of people entering CBP custody at the border has plummeted. There are now at least four uniformed security personnel for every apprehended migrant. Migration is also way down in the Darién Gap. Fentanyl seizures are also very low.
Homeland Security Investigations & ICE Agents arrest a man in Miami said to have withheld his history as a member of Cuban Intelligence to obtain lawful residency status. (Homeland Security Investigations photo) “Mass deportation” updates: ICE arrested 32,809 people in the U.S. interior during the first 50 days of the Trump administration. Congress is considering budget measures to make deportations truly “massive.” ICE is increasingly targeting families as it reopens family detention facilities.
Troops from Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division arrive at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, for US Southern Border Security Mission. (Photo by US Northern Command) Active-duty deployment nears 9,600 soldiers: Troops keep arriving at the border, playing supporting roles. (This is in addition to the 5,000 National Guard troops Texas has assigned to its border as part of “Operation Lone Star”)
ICE Air Operations transported 177 Venezuelan illegal aliens from Guantanamo Bay to Honduras on Feb. 20, 2025 for pickup by the Venezuelan government, which returned them to their home country. (Immigration & Customs Enforcement photo) Guantánamo base is currently empty: The entire population of 40 detainees at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Station has been returned to the United States. The operation’s cost so far has averaged $55,000 per detainee.
The impact in Panama and elsewhere: On short-term visas, Panama’s government released 112 Asian, African, and European migrants whom the Trump administration had sent there despite their fears of return. It isn’t clear what their next steps are.
Congressional opponents grow more vocal: Letters and statements from congressional Democrats voiced more alarm and outrage about Trump administration anti-immigration measures, even as a CNN poll showed respondents narrowly approving of Trump’s performance on migration policy.
NOTE: This summary was generated from a far more comprehensive weekly summary by wola.org, which you can read HERE.
(If you found this summary helpful, I invite you to support WOLA’s work).
Finally, in case you missed it:
(Stories US Border News covered during the past week):
Mountains of Meth Seized in Texas
Cartels lost thousands of pounds of drugs in recent weeks
500+ "Criminal Aliens" Arrested in Houston Crackdown
646 illegal aliens arrested in one week.
Really Bad Week for Cartel Cocaine Smugglers Along US Borders
18,000 + Pounds of Cocaine Seized Off US Coasts & Southern Border
Illegal Alien Wanted in 43 Murders Removed from Texas to Mexico
INTERPOL alerted federal authorities that he was in Housto
I remain committed to delivering a US Border Newsletter that is not only educational and insightful but also engaging and easy to digest in five minutes or less.
(How am I doing? Let me know in the comments!)
Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
