DOD: US-Mexico Illegal Border Crossings Down 94 Percent

Illegal border crossings from Mexico into the U.S. are down 94% since President Donald Trump took office, according to the Department of Defense.

He declared a national emergency at the border the day he took office for his second term in the White House.

The president said America was under attack.

"Our southern border is overrun by cartels, criminal gangs, known terrorists, human traffickers, smugglers, unvetted military-age males from foreign adversaries, and illicit narcotics that harm Americans," he said.

The DOD said that in less than two months, the shift in national priorities as ordered by the president, including designating drug cartels as terrorist threats and deploying troops to the border, made the difference.

"Backed by executive orders, military resources and international cooperation, these efforts signal a change in border enforcement aimed at restoring sovereignty and protecting American communities," a Pentagon statement said.

Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered a jail booking facility in Jim Hogg County near the Mexico border to be closed, since it's no longer needed to process people charged with illegal entry into the U.S., he said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leaders last week reported the arrest of more than 1,500 suspected gang members.

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