New border sector becomes nation's busiest as overall encounters continue to plummet on Trump watch

Overall, CBP data shows 8,347 encounters at the southwest border in February, a stunning 94.1% drop from the same month last year, when 124,215 encounters were recorded.

While the El Paso sector took the crown for the busiest, the just over 2,000 encounters for the area still represented a significant year-over-year drop from the numbers recorded during February of last year, when the sector had 23,919 encounters. The February numbers in El Paso also represented a drop from last month, with the sector recording 4,870 encounters in January 2025.

The El Centro sector recorded the fewest encounters in February, with CBP data showing just 102, a 91.6% reduction from the same time last year. The Big Ben sector wasn't far behind, recording just 165 encounters in February, marking a 71% drop from the same month last year.