WASHINGTON, D.C.: The number of migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally in February is expected to be one of the lowest ever recorded, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson and two other sources.

U.S. Border Patrol is on track to arrest about 8,500 migrants by the end of February, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said. Two other sources confirmed that this number would be at or near a record low.

After returning to the White House on January 20, President Donald Trump took several steps to reduce illegal immigration. He said strict measures were needed after high migration levels under former President Joe Biden. Trump's actions included a broad asylum ban at the border and deploying military troops to assist border security.

Earlier this month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued the Trump administration, arguing that the asylum ban violated U.S. and international laws.

Trump's administration also made new agreements with Mexico and Central American countries to accept deported migrants from other nations. Some migrants have been sent to a camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Border Patrol records date back to 2000, and the current lowest monthly total is April 2017, when 11,127 migrants were arrested at the start of Trump's first presidency. At that time, border crossings also dropped significantly—what some called "the Trump effect"—but later increased in certain months and years.

If the February prediction holds, it would be a sharp decrease from 141,000 migrant arrests in February 2024 and 29,000 in January 2025, based on U.S. government data.