THE WEEK’S US BORDER NEWS IN BRIEF:
This week’s US Border News Weekly Newsletter breaks down trends in US Immigration & Border Security enforcement, including continued sharp drops in migrant encounters, the current border hotspot for migrant arrests, and notable trends in border narcotics seizures.
Southwest Border Encounters & Apprehensions
Historical Lows Maintained: Overall migration continues at a pace not seen in over three decades. For the most recent full tracking month, U.S. Border Patrol recorded just 9,998 total apprehensions along the southwest border.
All Border Patrol Sectors there continue to report sharp drops in migrant encounters as shown in the chart below:
Minor Seasonal Uptick: Despite the overarching historic lows, the monthly data reflects a minor 11% seasonal increase from the prior month.
Southwest Border Patrol Sector-Specific Trends
Rio Grande Valley Leads: For the fifth consecutive month, the Rio Grande Valley Sector (RGV) in South Texas recorded the highest volume of migrant encounters and arrests nationwide.
Shift to Single Adults: Across all sectors, family unit and child migration has plummeted, now making up only about 10% to 13% of total apprehensions. Single adults account for nearly 90% of those taken into CBP custody.
While the percentage of single adults apprehended by the CBP has risen (versus families and unaccompanied minors), the overall number of single adults apprehended has dropped sharply over the last three years, as shown in the chart below:
Southern Border Prosecutions: In judicial enforcement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas continued its aggressive crackdown, announcing over 160 new criminal cases filed this week for unlawful reentry, alien smuggling, and assaulting federal border agents.
Contraband & Seizure Surges
Significant Increase in Seizures: CBP has seized 56% more drugs this fiscal year through May than it seized during the same period of FY 2024. May 2026 seizures of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana (combined, by weight) increased 32% from May 2024. This follows a large spike in seizures in April, which can be clearly seen in the chart below:
(US Customs & Border Protection graphic) Fentanyl Spike: CBP reported a sharp 72% increase in fentanyl seizures month-over-month, with federal agents intercepting 795 pounds last month alone.
Overall Drug Seizures: Marijuana, Methamphetamine, and Cocaine remain the largest types of drugs seized. Worth noting: seizures of “Other Drugs” (which can include Prescription Drugs, Hallucinogens such as PCP and Mushrooms, as well as uncategorized “Designer” or Synthetic Drugs are also sharply increasing, as shown in the chart below:
Trade Enforcement Operations: In Houston, US Federal Officers seized a huge amount of counterfeit merchandise with FIFA trademark logos worth well over $6 million. In Miami, CBP officers seized over 16,000 counterfeit FIFA World Cup jerseys shipped from China, valued at over $1.2 million. The knock-offs were to be sold in US cities hosting World Cup games.
Southwest Border Drug Seizures
Laredo and Eagle Pass, TX: Officers intercepted back-to-back smuggling attempts yielding nearly 74 pounds of cocaine (street value of $984,000) hidden in commercial and passenger vehicles.
Progreso, TX: Officers on the Progreso-Nuevo Progreso International bridge seized 23 packages containing 51.85 lbs of cocaine concealed in the rear quarter panels of a vehicle crossing into Texas from Mexico.
El Paso / Ysleta, TX: Agents utilizing canines and non-intrusive scanners recovered over 50 pounds of cocaine hidden in a vehicle trunk, and another bust yielded over 13 pounds of methamphetamine and 1.4 pounds of fentanyl powder.
Northern Border Drug Seizures
Port Huron, MI: Near the Blue Water Bridge entering Canada, agents seized 133 pounds of shrink-wrapped cocaine bricks hidden in cardboard boxes within a big rig.
CBP Officers checking this truck at the US-Canada border found it was carrying a $4 million load of cocaine. (US Customs & Border Protection photo)
FINALLY, IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
(Stories covered by US Border News during the past week)
More Chinese men caught in Texas
Human smugglers targeted
At the US-Canada Border
US Agents Hold the Line
(and Immigration Enforcement)
I am committed to delivering a weekly 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
