Border apprehensions fell 95% in FY26, DHS reports
Retired Border Patrol chief Chris Clem contrasts current low numbers with the 2021 surge.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Border apprehensions fell 95% in FY26, DHS reports
Photograph: U-S-NEWS.COM (embedded from source)
What this story says
- The Department of Homeland Security reported 98,708 southwest border apprehensions in fiscal year 2026, a 95% decrease from the Biden administration's average of over 1.8 million.
- This figure represents about 270 apprehensions per day, a significant drop from the estimated 5,000 per day during the prior administration's average.
- September 2026 marked the 17th consecutive month without Border Patrol releasing migrants, completing a full fiscal year with zero releases, according to DHS.
- Retired Yuma Sector Border Patrol Chief Chris Clem warned that a shift in congressional control could jeopardise border security gains.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
86/100
Craft
95/100
Hype
30/100
6 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
None of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
The Department of Homeland Security reported 98,708 southwest border apprehensions in fiscal year 2026. This figure is approximately 95% below the Biden administration’s annual average of more than 1.8 million, equating to about 270 apprehensions per day nationwide. The DHS also indicated that September 2026 marked the 17th consecutive month without Border Patrol releasing migrants into the country, completing a full fiscal year with zero releases.
Retired Yuma Sector Border Patrol Chief Chris Clem recalled that daily arrivals in Yuma rose from about 25 in December 2020 to more than 1,000 by December 2021. During a three-day stretch that month, he stated, daily arrivals approached 1,500. Clem described the situation during the surge as critical, with migrants walking through agricultural fields, running through town, and knocking on doors at all hours. He attributed the current decline to a combination of factors including personnel, infrastructure, technology, and consequences for illegal entry. Clem also warned that a shift in congressional control could complicate enforcement through funding and policy changes.
Disagreement on migrant releases
The Department of Homeland Security indicated that September 2026 marked the 17th consecutive month without Border Patrol releasing migrants, completing a full fiscal year with zero releases. The New York Ledger reported this finding. The Beltway Report digest stated DHS reports a full fiscal year with zero migrant releases. Fox News digest reported DHS announcing lowest fiscal year border crossings in American history and mentioned the former chief's warning about new threats. U-S-NEWS.COM reported the agency also said September marked the 17th consecutive month without Border Patrol releasing migrants into the country, completing what DHS described as the agency’s first full fiscal year with zero releases.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated reports printed below mention the specific figure of about 270 apprehensions per day across the southwest border that the Department of Homeland Security reported. The New York Ledger, the centre-rated report, did include this figure.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 16 Oct 2026, 14:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The New York Ledger led with the contrast between former President Donald Trump’s border crackdown and the situation under former President Joe Biden. It reported the Department of Homeland Security’s figures for historic lows in apprehensions and a full fiscal year without Border Patrol releasing migrants. The outlet quoted retired Yuma Sector Border Patrol Chief Chris Clem recalling the surge in December 2021, when daily arrivals in Yuma climbed from about 25 to more than 1,000, with a three-day stretch reaching roughly 1,500. The report also included Clem’s warning that a political shift in Washington could jeopardise border-security gains.
Right
5 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports focused on the significant drop in border apprehensions and the completion of a fiscal year without migrant releases, attributing the turnaround to former President Donald Trump’s policies. U-S-NEWS.COM reported that retired Yuma Sector Border Patrol Chief Chris Clem said the crossing collapse marks a turnaround from the Biden-era surge. The outlet quoted Clem describing the chaos of migrants walking through fields and knocking on doors. It also noted DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin stating, “President Trump promised the American people a secure border, and the data proves he delivered.” The reports included Clem’s warning that political uncertainty in Washington could undo progress and that mixed signals from Washington can be a tool for smugglers. Tom Homan, border czar, was quoted stating ICE recorded its highest single-day deportation total since Trump returned to office.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Border apprehensions fell 95% in FY26, DHS reports?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 17% are rated centre, 83% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Border apprehensions fell 95% in FY26, DHS reports left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Border apprehensions fell 95% in FY26, DHS reports biased?
- Border apprehensions fell 95% in FY26, DHS reports is one event reported by 6 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Border apprehensions fell 95% in FY26, DHS reports?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Border apprehensions fell 95% in FY26, DHS reports?
- 6 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- How many border apprehensions were reported in fiscal year 2026?
- The Department of Homeland Security reported 98,708 southwest border apprehensions in fiscal year 2026. This represents a 95% decrease compared to the Biden administration’s annual average of more than 1.8 million, equating to approximately 270 apprehensions per day.
- How long has Border Patrol gone without releasing migrants?
- September 2026 marked the 17th consecutive month without Border Patrol releasing migrants into the country. This means the agency completed a full fiscal year with zero releases, according to DHS figures.
- What did former Border Patrol Chief Chris Clem say about the situation?
- Retired Yuma Sector Border Patrol Chief Chris Clem recalled daily arrivals in Yuma rising from about 25 in December 2020 to over 1,000 by December 2021. He described the current low numbers as a turnaround but warned that political shifts in Washington could jeopardise border security gains.
Read it at the source
6 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
1Right
5- POLITICS: Former Yuma Border Chief Says Crossing Collapse Marks Turnaround From Biden-Era Surge – The Beltway Report (opens U-S-NEWS.COM in a new tab)
U-S-NEWS.COM — is U-S-NEWS.COM biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Former Border Patrol chief recalls Biden migrant surge chaos as Trump crackdown delivers historic turnaround (opens khbrknews in a new tab)
khbrknews — is khbrknews biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Former Border Patrol chief recalls Biden migrant surge chaos as Trump crackdown delivers historic turnaround - NEW YORK TIMES POST (opens nytimespost.com in a new tab)
nytimespost.com — is nytimespost.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Former Yuma Border Chief Says Crossing Collapse Marks Turnaround From Biden-Era Surge (opens The Beltway Report in a new tab)
The Beltway Report — is The Beltway Report biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Former Border Patrol chief recalls Biden migrant surge chaos as Trump crackdown delivers historic turnaround (opens Fox News in a new tab)
Fox News — is Fox News biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
How did this read?
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