CONG. PFLUGER: Southern Border Apprehensions at Half a Century Record Low

Reimbursing Texas for Biden's Border Crisis

By Cong. August Pfluger

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Texas Insider Report) — Last week, the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security released its latest "Border Brief Factsheet"t detailing that apprehensions by U.S. Customs & Border Patrol hit record lows in half a century for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. After four years of the Biden-Harris Administration's disastrous open-border agenda and reckless catch-and-release policies, I'm thankful the American people are finally seeing a return to law and order at our Southern Border.
 
Thanks to the strong leadership of the Trump Administration, our borders and our homeland are more secure today than they have been in years. House Republicans have also delivered real solutions at the border by passing legislation that invests in cutting-edge technology, modernizes critical equipment, and expands the Border Patrol workforce to protect the homeland from nefarious actors.
 

Key Facts:

• FY2025 closed on a strong note, with 79% fewer Southwest border encounters than FY2024. U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) apprehensions between ports of entry at the Southwest border in FY25 (237,538) hit the lowest level since 1970.
• In September, CBP nationwide border encounters decreased 82% compared to September 2024.
• In September, Southwest border encounters decreased 88.6% (101,790 vs 11,647) compared to last September. 
• USBP apprehensions between ports of entry at the Southwest border in September (8,386) decreased 84.4% compared to September 2024 (53,858). 
• Through Operation Pacific Viper, the U.S. Coast Guard has interdicted more than 100,000 pounds of cocaine, averaging about 1,600 lbs. of cocaine interdicted daily since August.
• CBP encounters of inadmissible aliens at the Northern border dropped nearly 74% in September 2025 (4,436) compared to September 2024 (17,127). 
• In September, for the fifth month in a row, zero inadmissible aliens were released by Border Patrol into American communities.

I look forward to continuing this mission on the House Homeland Security Committee and building on this historic success to keep our borders and communities safe for years to come. 

Reimbursing Texas for Biden's Border Crisis

Last week I was proud to lead the entire Republican Texas congressional delegation alongside U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) in a letter to the U.S. Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS), urging them to prioritize the State of Texas when disbursing the $13.5 billion in border security reimbursements I helped secure earlier this year.

The devastating impact of the previous administration’s open border policies has been felt nationwide — but no state has carried the burden more than Texas. Texas spent $11.1 billion on border security, including $5.87 billion on personnel costs and $4.75 billion on border wall and barriers. When the federal government failed to secure our border and protect our communities, Texans stepped up. 

We will not rest until Texas is paid for what it's owed.
 

• Read more in the Dallas Morning News here or by clicking on the image below.

Congressman August Pfluger represents a total of 29 Counties in Texas’ 11th Congressional District – which includes the cities of San Angelo, Llano, Brownwood, Granbury, Midland, Odessa, and much of the top Oil & Gas Producing Region in America, West Texas' Permian Basin. He also serves as Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee – the largest caucus of conservatives on Capitol Hill.