On Monday morning, Fox's Bill Hemmer covered the phenomenal success that the Donald Trump administration has had in cutting the number of illegal border crossings to record low levels.
And on Sunday afternoon, as his colleague Griff Jenkins also covered the story, he and Border Patrol chief Michael Banks recalled that the rate of migrant deaths has also plummeted after there were record deaths under President Joe Biden.
Setting up the segment on America's Newsroom, Hemmer read from a statement by President Trump:
President Trump is applauding a sharp drop in illegal crossings since he took office. Posting this over the weekend: "The border is closed to all illegal immigrants. Anyone who tries to illegally enter the U.S.A. will face significant criminal penalties and immediate deportation."
Noting that the number of apprehensions by the Customs and Border Patrol in February was the lowest that it has been for any month since CBP has been collecting statistics, he related:
CBP data shows the number of encounters plummeted -- lowest level in about 25 years last month. ... February, year by year, you had 2025 -- you're at 8,300. Look at where you were a year ago. ... 189,000 for the same month a year ago.
It also happens that, compared to this past December's tally of 96,035, February's numbers were 87 percent lower.
Appearing as a guest, National Border Patrol Council president Paul Perez gave President Trump credit for ending "catch and release," and for sending more border agents into the field to patrol.
Later on, co-host Dana Perino predicted correctly that the liberal media would not cover the good news about the border:
I thought about a communications challenge the Trump administration is going to have going forward, and it is when something starts working, the media stops covering it -- not that they were (inaudible) before -- but now that you have a trickle of illegal immigration at the border, I can just feel it, Mary Katharine, that you're going to have them say, "What's the big deal? It's working -- everything's working -- everything's fine.
On Sunday's Fox News Live, as Jenkins also covered the border numbers, he recalled that President Biden a year ago had claimed wrongly that he had already done all he could, playing a clip of the former President.
Addressing Banks, Jenkins observed: "Turns out, Chief, there was more he could do." The border chief agreed: "There was a lot more he could do, and so -- look, there's no big surprise here. If there's a consequence to breaking the law, you're going to have less people breaking the law."
The two went on to discuss the plummeting death rate of migrants crossing illegally, with Banks relating that the rate has dropped 86 percent since this time last year:
So the prior administration was using the argument that their border mission or their border plan was the most humane border plan [that] ever existed. In fact, it was the exact opposite. It was the most inhumane border plan that every existed. We have seen a decrease in cross-border-related deaths by 86 percent. ... We saw the highest recorded numbers of cross-border deaths during the Trump -- during the Biden administration, and now we're seeing those reversed under the Trump administration.
Transcripts follow:
Fox's America's Newsroom
March 3, 2025
9:24 a.m. Eastern
BILL HEMMER: President Trump is applauding a sharp drop in illegal crossings since he took office. Posting this over the weekend: "The border is closed to all illegal immigrants. Anyone who tries to illegally enter the U.S.A. will face significant criminal penalties and immediate deportation."
CBP data shows the number of encounters plummeted -- lowest level in about 25 years last month. Paul Perez is the president of the National Border Patrol Council. Sir, good morning to you. Here it is, right? February, year by year, you had 2025 -- you're at 8,300. Look at where you were a year ago. Dana, you looking at that -- 189,000 ---
DANA PERINO: Yeah.
HEMMER: -- for the same month a year ago. All right, this is no accident. What do you think is the factor that did this?
PAUL PEREZ, BORDER PATROL COUNCIL: Well, number one, the policy changes that President Trump put into effect right away, ending "catch and release" and making sure that there are criminal penalties for anybody that's entering the country illegally was a big step. Putting our agents out on the line for them to be able to detect, deter and patrol the areas that we weren't able to patrol before. It's been a big factor and a big change.
(...)
10:07 a.m.
PERINO: I thought about a communications challenge the Trump administration is going to have going forward, and it is when something starts working, the media stops covering it -- not that they were (inaudible) before -- but now that you have a trickle of illegal immigration at the border, I can just feel it, Mary Katharine, that you're going to have them say, "What's the big deal? It's working -- everything's working -- everything's fine.
(...)
Fox News Live
March 2, 2025
12:35 p.m. Eastern
MICHAEL BANKS, BORDER PATROL: We've know how to do it all along. It's being allowed and supported by the administration and the secretary that allowed us to do our job to get these numbers down to where they are.
GRIFF JENKINS: It's interesting, chief, you mention that because I remember that, on January 30, essentially a year ago, I was stunned when I heard then-President Biden said this on a departure from the White House. Listen here.
VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Have you done everything you can do with executive authority? Or is there more you can do?
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN (dated January 30, 2024): I've done all I can do. "Just give me the power," I've asked from the very day I got into office. Give me the border patrol. Give me the people -- give me the people -- the judges. Give me the people who can stop this and make it work.
GRIFFIN: Turns out, Chief, there was more he could do.
BANKS: There was a lot more he could do, and so -- look, there's no big surprise here. If there's a consequence to breaking the law, you're going to have less people breaking the law.
(...)
JENKINS: Some of the most difficult times that I had during the crisis in the last administration was standing on the banks of the Rio Grande and actually witnessing drownings -- actual migrants. The administration claimed to be the most humanitarian from an immigration standpoint, but yet we saw an unprecedented number of deaths -- people drowning and dying on the journey to cross our border. I have sources today telling me that those numbers may be down.
BANKS: So the prior administration was using the argument that their border mission or their border plan was the most humane border plan [that] ever existed. In fact, it was the exact opposite. It was the most inhumane border plan that every existed. We have seen a decrease in cross-border-related deaths by 86 percent.
JENKINS: Eight-six percent?
BANKS: Eighty-six percent. We saw the highest recorded numbers of cross-border deaths during the Trump -- during the Biden administration, and now we're seeing those reversed under the Trump administration.
