--- title: "US border had 16 months with no releases in August 2026" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/us-border-had-16-months-with-no-releases-in-august-2026" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/us-border-had-16-months-with-no-releases-in-august-2026" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/us-border-had-16-months-with-no-releases-in-august-2026.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/us-border-had-16-months-with-no-releases-in-august-2026" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-16T22:25:46.541Z" source_reported: "2026-09-16T22:04:49.000Z" updated: "2026-09-16T22:25:46.541Z" trust_score: 86 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 28 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-16T23:15:32.407233+00:00" --- # US border had 16 months with no releases in August 2026 *Department of Homeland Security announced the milestone, citing a shift from previous policies.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 86 of 100, higher is better. Trust high (86) due to multiple named officials, official statements, specific figures, dates and corroborating outlets. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic score (95) reflects clear context, many quotes, specific data, future plans and coherent narrative. - Hype 28 of 100, lower is better. Hype moderate (28); headline is emphatic but body matches claim without sensational exaggeration. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced a 16-month streak of zero releases at the U.S.-Mexico border in August 2026. - U.S. Border Patrol apprehended 8,870 people in August 2026, a 5% decrease from July. - Drug seizures for the fiscal year were up 73% compared to the same period in 2024, according to DHS. - DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that the streak proves President Donald Trump's policies are effective and that 'catch and release is over'. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced in August 2026 that there had been 16 consecutive months without releasing individuals apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. Border Patrol reported 8,870 apprehensions along the Southwest border in August 2026, a 5% reduction from July 2026. For the fiscal year, DHS reported that drug seizures had increased by 73% when compared with the same period in 2024. ## Differing accounts of border policy DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that the 16-month streak demonstrates the success of President Donald Trump's policies, asserting that "catch and release is over" and "consequences are back." Mullin also claimed that illegal crossings had fallen to historic lows and that the border was the most secure in American history. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott added that individuals crossing illegally are apprehended, detained, and removed, not released into the United States. In contrast, reports noted that under the previous administration, Border Patrol released over 10,000 individuals in August 2024. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated reports mentioned the total cost of the border wall construction, which was reported as $46 billion in the full report from democraticaccent.com. Additionally, none of the right-rated reports included the specific figure of 8,870 apprehensions for August 2026, instead stating it was 5% fewer than July. The full report from democraticaccent.com also detailed that August apprehension numbers were 94% lower than the average month under former President Joe Biden, a comparison not present in the right-rated digests. ## Who covered it Shares of the 7 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 0% (0) - Right: 100% (7) 3 of 10 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-16T23:15:32.407233+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-17T00:15:30.736Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre No separate framing summary. ### Right - Six right-rated reports highlighted the 16-month streak of zero releases at the U.S.-Mexico border. These reports attributed the achievement to the Trump administration's policies, quoting DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin stating that "catch and release is over" and that the border is the "most secure" in history. The reports also noted the 5% decrease in apprehensions in August 2026 compared to July 2026 and the 73% increase in drug seizures for the fiscal year. Some reports mentioned the construction of a border wall in Arizona and a legal challenge from the Tohono O’odham Nation, which was rejected by a federal judge. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 4 - mixed: 3 - unknown: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [WLTReport](https://wltreport.com/2026/09/16/trump-border-streak-hits-16-months-with-zero-illegal-crossing-releases) — Trump Border Streak Hits 16 Months With Zero Illegal-Crossing Releases - [100% FED UP!](https://100percentfedup.com/trump-border-16-months-zero-illegal-crossing-releases) — Trump Border Streak Hits 16 Months With Zero Illegal-Crossing Releases – 100PercentFedUp.com – by Donald - [The National Pulse](https://thenationalpulse.com/2026/09/16/trump-hits-16-month-streak-of-zero-border-releases) — Trump Hits 16-Month Streak of Zero Border Releases. - [democraticaccent.com](https://democraticaccent.com/trump-dhs-hits-16-straight-months-with-0-releases-at-the-border) — Trump DHS hits 16 straight months with 0 releases at the border – Democratic Accent - [wfmd.com](https://wfmd.com/2026/09/16/trump-dhs-hits-16-straight-months-with-0-releases-at-the-border) — Trump DHS hits 16 straight months with 0 releases at the border - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/politics/trump-dhs-hits-16-straight-months-0-releases-border) — Trump DHS hits 16 straight months with 0 releases at the border - [wokespy.com](https://wokespy.com/trump-dhs-extends-stunning-zero-release-border-streak-to-16-months) — Trump DHS Extends Stunning Zero Release Border Streak to 16 Months - [Portal Mix Vale](https://mixvale.com.br/2026/09/16/trump-administration-reaches-16-months-of-zero-border-releases-signaling-policy-shift) — Trump Administration Reports 16 Months of Zero Border Releases, Signaling Policy Shift - [Tippahnews.com](https://tippahnews.com/national-news/trump-administration-reports-16-straight-months-with-zero-releases-at-u-s-mexico-border) — Trump administration reports 16 straight months with zero releases at U.S.-Mexico border - [OAN](https://oann.com/newsroom/dhs-touts-16-months-with-0-releases-at-the-border-consequences-are-back) — DHS touts 16 months with 0 releases at the border: ‘Consequences are back’ ## Questions **What milestone did the Department of Homeland Security announce?** The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced a 16-month streak of zero releases at the U.S.-Mexico border in August 2026. This means that individuals apprehended crossing the border illegally were not released into the United States during this period. **How many people were apprehended at the border in August 2026?** U.S. Border Patrol apprehended 8,870 people along the Southwest border in August 2026. This figure represented a 5% decrease compared to the number of apprehensions recorded in July 2026. **What has happened to drug seizures?** Drug seizures for the fiscal year were up by 73% compared to the same period in 2024, according to the Department of Homeland Security. This increase was noted alongside the announcement of the 16-month streak of zero releases at the border. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/us-border-had-16-months-with-no-releases-in-august-2026. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "US border had 16 months with no releases in August 2026", https://mediabias.news/politics/us-border-had-16-months-with-no-releases-in-august-2026