Phoenix, Arizona — Illegal border crossings in Arizona have fallen to record lows during President Donald Trump’s first year back in office, according to newly released U.S. Customs and Border Protection data and internal Border Patrol figures obtained by The Center Square. The data show a dramatic decline compared with peak levels recorded during the Biden administration.
In fiscal year 2025, Border Patrol agents apprehended 65,813 illegal border crossers in Arizona, excluding so-called “gotaways,” CBP’s term for individuals who evade capture after entering between ports of entry. That figure represents roughly a 92% drop from fiscal 2023 totals, when more than 775,000 illegal crossings and gotaways were reported statewide. Apprehensions alone exceeded 570,000 in both fiscal 2022 and 2023, underscoring the scale of the decline.
The Center Square reports that Arizona’s total apprehensions this year were also significantly lower than the estimated number of gotaways recorded during the Biden years. Border Patrol officials previously warned Congress that staffing shortages and closed interior checkpoints in the Tucson and Yuma sectors allowed large numbers of migrants and smugglers to move undetected through the state.
Those conditions have shifted under Trump’s renewed border strategy. Arizona agents are now supported by National Guard and Coast Guard personnel, with enforcement focused on expedited removals rather than releases into the interior. Federal agencies are also expanding physical barrier construction and recruitment across Arizona.
Officials say the combination of staffing, enforcement, and infrastructure changes has reshaped border operations statewide, producing the lowest crossing numbers Arizona has recorded in years.
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