THE WEEK’S US BORDER NEWS IN BRIEF:
Recent news about U.S. immigration and border security has focused on new law enforcement authorities for immigration officers, the termination of a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, reports of lower border crossings along with stepped-up deportations, and an unprecedented US military strike on suspected smugglers near Venezuela.
Law enforcement and security changes
Increased enforcement operations: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been conducting operations across the country, resulting in the arrests of individuals described as "criminal illegal aliens" for offenses ranging from violent crimes to visa fraud.
Expanded USCIS authority: A new rule published on September 4, 2025, authorizes U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to empower "special agents" to investigate and arrest individuals who violate immigration laws. This expands USCIS's traditional focus on processing applications to include more enforcement activities.
US Military strikes smugglers: On Tuesday, September 2, 2025, President Trump announced via social media that "on my orders," US Military Forces attacked "positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists ... in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action."
International smuggling crackdown: A federal indictment was announced on September 4, 2025, charging 12 people with participating in an international scheme involving alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering.
Use of military lawyers: To address a record 3.5 million–case backlog in immigration courts, the Pentagon has approved a plan to send up to 600 military attorneys to serve as temporary immigration judges.
Policy and status changes
TPS termination for Venezuela: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the termination of the 2021 designation of Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans. The protections will expire on September 10, 2025, and those without other legal status may face deportation.
Ending "catch-and-release" and CBP One app: The Trump administration has ended the "catch-and-release" policy and shut down the CBP One app, which had been used to schedule asylum appointments. Migrants who entered using the app have reportedly had their legal status rescinded and been told to leave the U.S..
Potential reinstatement of Title 42: Administration officials have reportedly prepared plans to revive the Title 42 policy, which allowed for the rapid expulsion of migrants on public health grounds.
"Remain in Mexico" policy reinstated: The Trump administration has re-established the "Remain in Mexico" policy, which requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their court hearings.
Border statistics and trends
Reported drop in crossings: According to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the country has seen a decline of approximately 1.6 million illegal aliens in her first 200 days in office. White House reports claim illegal crossings hit a stunning new low in March, with a significant decrease in encounters compared to previous years.
Increase in deportations: Keeping with a campaign pledge for the largest deportation effort in American history, the administration has deported more than 100,000 migrants since January 20, 2025.
FINALLY, IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
(Stories covered by US Border News during the past week)
Off US East & West Coasts
Appeals Court stops closure
Was a line just crossed?
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Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
Doesn’t seem many lines if any have been crossed. In the context of 9/11, this is what we should have been doing.
Nation building in our own country. Imagine!
The Caribbean is heating up...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ-ktudS9Ik
As to the voices of caution urging restraint: Might be time to assume a wartime posture, since we have been subjected to proxy warfare from Qatar, Iran, China, and Russia for years already.
I hear the same voices of caution urging against a civil war in the UK. Sure, that's not good for anyone, prima facie. On the other hand, a simple toothache that has been neglected for years sometimes requires radical surgery to save the patient's life, if it can be saved. At that point it's useless to discuss what could have been done in the past, if the toothache had been addressed in a regular dental visit. It wasn't.
Nobody had the appetite for another world war in the 1930s, after the recently past "war to end all wars". But we don't always get to decide the trajectory of history. Sometimes it's necessary to strike hard without warning; of course it's very difficult to be certain until later. This feels to me like a historical threshold, in which it's important to send out the bat-signal to enemies and potential allies. We in the west [globally] have been trying ineffectual diplomatic approaches to deal with violent totalitarian adversaries, with predictable results. Time for something different.