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Fewer attempted illegal crossings -

About 8,000 attempted crossings were detected in February 2025, 94.1% fewer than in February 2024, according to the latest figures published by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

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Less "encounters" -

These attempted crossings, or "encounters," are instances when US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apprehended or expelled someone attempting to illegally cross into the US between official ports of entry.

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Multiple attempts to cross -

This figure is not representative of individual people, as one person may be counted several times if they make multiple attempts to breach the frontier.

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Intercepting the flow of illegal migration -

United States Border Patrol (USBP)  intercepted an estimated 80% of attempted border crossings along the US-Mexico border in 2021, the most recent data made available by the DHS.

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Borderline -

The total length of the US-Mexico border is 1,954 miles (3,145 km). It spans four US states—California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

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Nine regional sectors -

The USBP divides this border area into nine regions, each managed as a single frontier patrol sector.

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Crossings monitored -

Attempted border crossings are detected at different rates along most of the border as it's being monitored.

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Highest attempt rate -

In February 2025, attempted illegal border crossings were highest in the El Paso Border Patrol Sector.

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Decline in overall attempts -

Overall, though, the number of detected crossing attempts in all nine sectors declined compared to 12 months earlier.

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Tucson records lowest drop -

According to the CBP, the drop was the largest in the Tucson sector, where crossings decreased by 97.3% between February 2024 and February 2025.

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The Tucson Sector -

The Tucson Sector covers most of the state of Arizona from the New Mexico state line to the Yuma County line. This area covers a total of 262 border miles (421 km) and represents one of the busiest sectors in the country in both illegal alien apprehensions and marijuana seizures.

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Cross-border cooperation -

The fall in the numbers of encounters may reflect fluctuating migration routes or policy shifts on both sides of the border.

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Most frequently used international boundary -

The border separating Mexico and the United States is the most frequently crossed international boundary in the world, with approximately 350 million legal crossings (of people, cars, and trucks) taking place annually.

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San Ysidro vehicle numbers -

The busiest border crossing is San Ysidro. In 2024, 14,829,472 private cars entered the US from Mexico at this port of entry, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

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San Ysidro pedestrian numbers -

Using the same port of entry, incoming pedestrian numbers from Mexico in 2024 numbered 6,766,420.

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El Paso vehicle numbers -

El Paso was the second busiest port of entry into the US from Mexico in 2024. In that year, 7,544,927 private cars used the crossing.

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El Paso pedestrian numbers -

According to the BTS, 4,751,776 pedestrians crossed into the US from Mexico at El Paso in 2024.

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Otay Mesa vehicle numbers -

The number of private cars using the Otay Mesa port of entry in 2024 was 6,516,286—the third busiest vehicle crossing. Otay Mesa was constructed primarily to divert growing commercial truck traffic from the busy San Ysidro crossing, but significant passenger vehicle and pedestrian traffic has since grown as development in the area around the crossing has increased.

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Nogales-Mariposa pedestrian numbers -

In 2024, Nogales-Mariposa recorded 3,257,542 pedestrian crossings from Mexico into the US, making it the third busiest port of entry for those on foot.

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Fentanyl seizures -

In 2024, more than 21,000 pounds (9,525 kg) of fentanyl was seized at the southern border, according to CBP data.

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Agents on patrol -

Over 21,370 Border Patrol agents protect and patrol 1,900 miles (3,100 km) of the US border with Mexico.

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Use of concertina wire -

Layers of concertina wire are used along the US-Mexico border to cut the flow of immigration. Also known as the "devil’s rope," as Native Americans called it, there is over 100 miles (160 km) of razor wire installed at some of the most critical migrant crossing points along the southern border.

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Death toll -

According to the CBP, an estimated 10,000 people have died attempting to cross the border from the US into Mexico since 1994.

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"The deadliest land route for migrants worldwide" -

In fact, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has described the US-Mexico border as "the deadliest land route for migrants worldwide." Pictured is a blue cross marking the location where an 11-year old girl died trying to cross the border with her mother.

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Floating barrier -

In 2023, Texas started deploying a new floating barrier on the Rio Grande as a way to deter migrant crossings at the US-Mexico border.

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A border on the beach -

A section of a US-Mexico border fence stretches into the Pacific Ocean at San Diego-Tijuana.

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Pollution threat -

Tijuana and San Diego are separated by the border at the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The International Boundary and Water Commission has reported that over 100 billion gallons (378 billion liters) of untreated sewage, industrial waste, and urban runoff have spilled into the Tijuana Estuary and the Pacific Ocean via the Tijuana River over the last five years.

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The Sonoran Desert -

In remote areas that have little if nothing at all resembling a fence, places such as the Sonoran Desert, the number of people trying to cross into the US has increased.

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Baboquivari Peak Wilderness -

The border also snakes through Baboquivari Peak Wilderness, again with little in way of a barrier. But immigrants attempting these routes must walk 50 miles (80 km) of inhospitable terrain to reach the United States. 

Sources: (Pew Research Center) (DHS) (USBP) (CBP) (BTS) (IOM)

See also: United States-Canada: the longest international border in the world

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