EAGLE PASS, Texas (NewsNation) — Vice President JD Vance visited the U.S. southern border on Wednesday to highlight the administration’s tough immigration policies as the White House touts a sharp decline in border crossings.
Border security is a top priority for President Donald Trump, and Vance’s trip marks the highest-ranking official from the administration to visit the border since he took office six weeks ago.
Alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, Vance will tour a federal immigration processing facility in Eagle Pass, Texas, once considered a hot spot for illegal crossings.
This visit comes as the White House pushes its “whole of government” approach, coordinating efforts between the departments of Homeland Security, Defense and Justice.
It also comes as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection migrant processing facility in Eagle Pass, Texas, is closing, sources told NewsNation on Wednesday.
“Border security is national security,” said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Vance urged people in the U.S. without authorization to return to their countries voluntarily and return only through legal pathways to avoid deportation.
He also said the administration hopes to build the entire border wall by the end of the term as well as adding technology that can help officers patrol the border.
The vice president also said the administration is doing a favor to the people of Mexico, suggesting without U.S. action it would become a “narco state” controlled by cartels.
Vance said defining cartels as foreign terrorist organizations is important to security. When NewsNation’s Ali Bradley asked about the possibility of using troops against cartels, Vance declined to answer directly.
“I’m not going to make any announcements about any invasions of Mexico here today,” Vance said.
Trump touts decline in illegal border crossings
Illegal crossings at the southern border have reportedly dropped 94% compared to last year, according to Border Patrol officials, and the decline is attributed to several factors — including labeling cartel groups as terrorist organizations, boosting ICE deportations and deploying military resources for enforcement and deportation flights.
A year ago, there was an average of 4,800 migrant encounters daily, officials said; that number has now reportedly dropped to less than 300. Areas like Eagle Pass and Del Rio in South Texas that once saw thousands of illegal crossings under the Biden administration now reportedly average less than 50 encounters per day.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said February marked the “lowest month in recorded history for (migrant) encounters at our border.”
She reposted Trump’s social media post that said there were 8,326 apprehensions of undocumented immigrants by Border Patrol agents at the U.S.-Mexico border in February.
“My first full month in Office, had the LOWEST number of illegal immigrants trying to enter our Country in History – BY FAR!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The latest Customs and Border Protection data, released in January, reports a total of 179,572 immigrant encounters by Border Patrol agents since the start of fiscal year 2025 on Oct. 1 — but that data includes more than four months of encounters under the previous administration.
In January, there were 29,116 immigrant encounters on the Southwest border, CBP reported. The largest number of encounters occurred in the San Diego sector, with 6,397. The Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol reported the second-most encounters with 5,965, and the El Paso sector was third with 4,871, CBP said.
The number of single adults encountered on the Southwest border so far in fiscal year 2025 has dropped 73% from the previous year, and the number of families has dropped 84%, CBP reported.
Customs and Border Protection releases monthly encounter data but has not yet released February figures.
Trump eyeing plan to revive Title 42
Trump is also considering reinstating Title 42, an emergency health authority that allows immigration officials to turn away migrants at the border to prevent the spread of disease.
If Title 42 were renewed, officials could enact similar restrictions while citing the potential spread of diseases such as tuberculosis, according to internal government documents obtained by CBS News.
The policy was first enacted in Trump’s first administration during the COVID-19 pandemic