San Diego Border Patrol chief says calling low crossing numbers a ‘dramatic change’ is an ‘understatement’

The dramatic change in the number of people crossing the border cannot be understated, according to a San Diego border patrol chief.

The Los Angeles Times spoke to Jeffrey Stalnaker, acting chief patrol agent of the San Diego sector of the border, on Sunday about the substantial decrease in illegal migrant encounters and arrests over the last few months. According to the LA Times, arrests have gone from more than 1,200 per day during their peak last April to only 30 to 40 per day.

“To say there has been a dramatic change would be an understatement,” Stalnaker said.

He pointed to federal actions taken at the border since President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, such as additional barbed wire and increased U.S. and Mexican National Guard troops stationed on both sides.

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Border Patrol sources told Fox News Digital that crossings have dropped by 95% in San Diego. (Fox News)

“What we see behind us here today is the result of a true whole-of-government effort, from the Marines laying down miles of concertina wire along the border infrastructure, to the soldiers manning our scope trucks and remote video surveillance cameras,” Stalnaker added.

Outside the military, humanitarian groups also described seeing dramatic shifts at the border. One organization, the American Friends Service Committee, reported going over a month without seeing any illegal migrants, leading them to eventually tear down three canopies of aid supplies.

Other groups such as Immigrant Defenders Law Center and Al Otro Lado told the LA Times that they plan to refocus their efforts on providing legal services for detained illegal immigrants over providing humanitarian aid.

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Several thousand U.S. and Mexican troops have been stationed at the border since Trump’s inauguration. (Carlos Moreno/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Earlier this month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that it was shutting down a migrant processing facility near San Diego after an unprecedented drop in apprehensions. This facility was originally opened in January 2023 with a capacity of about 500 people.

Border Patrol sources told Fox News Digital on Friday that San Diego saw a 95% reduction in illegal immigrant encounters at the border.

Only 36 apprehensions were reported in San Diego on Thursday compared to 908 one year prior.

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