Former Border Patrol chief recalls chaos over Biden's immigration surge as Trump crackdown makes historic U-turn

As DHS reports the lowest number of border crossings for a fiscal year in U.S. history, retired Yuma Border Patrol Chief Chris Kelm recalls the number of agents outnumbered by 100 to 1 and warns that these historic crossings may face new threats.

Former Border Patrol chief warns Trump's border gains could come undone

Chris Clem, retired chief of the Border Patrol in Yuma, Arizona, recalls the factors that overwhelmed the Biden-era immigration surge, explains what changed during Donald Trump's presidency, and warns that political changes could jeopardize progress.

President Donald Trump's border crackdown has sharply reduced the illegal crossings that overwhelmed agents under former President Joe Biden, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reporting on Thursday the lowest level of apprehensions and a full fiscal year without Border Patrol letting immigrants into the country.

For Chris Kelm, retired chief of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Yuma, Arizona, the turnaround is a stark contrast to the days when his agents couldn't pick up immigrants fast enough, with consequences spilling over into local neighborhoods, farms and businesses.

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But while Clem said he credited stronger enforcement and the prospect of layoffs with helping drive the cuts, he warned that those gains could face another threat — a political shift in Washington.

"There are a lot of policy decisions that could be really disrupted by a Congress trying to overturn what the president has done," said Kelm, who warned that changes in congressional control could complicate the implementation of fiscal decisions and policy restrictions. A future presidential administration could pursue more sweeping changes.

Preliminary DHS figures released Thursday show the Border Patrol recorded 98,708 apprehensions from the Southwest border in fiscal year 2026, nearly 95 percent below the annual average of more than 1.8 million under the Biden administration.

That translates to about 270 arrests a day across the southwest border, compared to roughly 5,000 the department's annual average used during the Biden era.

In Yuma alone, Clem recalled, daily arrivals jumped from about 25 in December 2020 to more than 1,000 by December 2021. He said daily arrivals reached 1,500 during three difficult days that month.

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Weather problems and a lack of resources have exacerbated the pressure, he said, making it difficult for officials to move people across the border.

"That was really when, you know, it was very important to me because we had the real impact of a failed border security policy outside of Washington, D.C.," Kelm said.

He said his agents remained committed to the mission, but the volume was overwhelming.

"The officers, they had their heads in the right place. They knew they had to do the job," Klem said. "But when you're outnumbered, literally 100 to one, it's very difficult."

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DHS also announced that September marked the 17th consecutive month that the Border Patrol did not release immigrants into the country, completing what it described as the agency's first full fiscal year with zero departures.

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Kelm said the prospect of freedom had given smugglers a powerful selling point under the previous administration.

"If you get to the border, you're going to be processed and they're going to let you go," he said, outlining the pitch.

He argued that changing these expectations is fundamental to preventing illegal crossing.

"They know they're not going to be prosecuted and they're not going to go free, which was the case in the Biden-Harris administration," Kelm said.

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He attributed a combination of personnel, infrastructure, technology and the consequences of illegal entry rather than any single action.

Enforcement efforts extend beyond the border itself.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations inside the country add another layer, making it clear that crossing Border Patrol does not eliminate the possibility of arrest and removal, Clem said.

"When you combine strong frontier mode as well as strong domestic execution, it's a recipe for success," he said.

Border tsar Tom Homan pointed to that domestic executive pressure Thursday, saying ICE recorded its highest number of single-day deportations since Trump took office.

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"We are at maximum layoff -- firing on all cylinders while still expanding our capabilities to increase layoffs beyond current record-breaking levels," Homan wrote on social media.

Homan said he visited ICE Air Operations in Alexandria, Louisiana, to observe evacuation operations, including the return flight of Haitians who he said have criminal records including aggravated assault, sexual assault, kidnapping, battery and other offenses.

He also said that ICE did more removals in September than any other month, though his post did not provide totals or specify a comparison period. Figures for fiscal year 2026 were still being finalized, he said.

ICE removal figures measure a separate part of the immigration system from Border Patrol arrests and releases.

In a statement announcing these border figures, DHS Secretary Marquin Mullin said: "President Trump promised the American people a secure border, and the data proves that he has delivered." "The results couldn't be clearer: strong enforcement works."

However, Colem cautioned that the lower numbers do not eliminate the threat posed by smugglers or people trying to evade detection.

"There's always the risk of someone sneaking in. Who is that person?" he said

He argued that mixed political messages could also harm smugglers, opening up to lure people into dangerous journeys with the promise of changing US policies.

"When our policies aren't clear and we don't hold ourselves accountable, it's a marketing tool for trafficking organizations," he said.

For Colem, it's important to distinguish between debating immigration policy and maintaining border security.

"We have an immigration problem that we need to address," he said. "We have to find a way to retain and hire the people who are here, the foreign nationals who want to help."