Rep. Michael Guest, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement, published an op-ed in the Washington Reporter highlighting border security measures implemented during President Trump’s second term. According to Guest, significant progress has been made in reducing border encounters since January 2025.
The House Committee on Homeland Security released its monthly “Border Brief” factsheet, which reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) saw an 85% decrease in nationwide border encounters in January 2026 compared to January 2024, a period Guest described as the worst January on record under the Biden administration. Over the year from February 2025 through January 2026, CBP recorded an 83% drop in encounters compared to the previous year, when there were 2.1 million such incidents.
Guest stated: “As we prepare to hear President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address tonight, there is one success from the past year that stands out the most — our border.”
He added: “As chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement, I have been honored to work alongside President Trump to deliver results.”
Guest credited a “whole-of-government strategy” for these changes, noting efforts such as reinforcing border barriers, ending catch-and-release policies, disrupting cartel operations, and supporting law enforcement. He said these actions led to a rapid decline in encounters at ports of entry along the Southwest border—dropping by 93% in the first 11 days after President Trump’s inauguration compared to the last days of President Biden’s term.
By early February 2025, known daily gotaways at the Southwest border averaged 132 per day—a substantial reduction from over 1,800 per day in 2023. In June 2025, monthly Southwest border encounters fell below 10,000 for the first time in years.
Guest also highlighted that CBP recorded just 9,726 Southwest border encounters in January 2026—the third lowest month recently and a figure he said was “94 percent below January 2024 under the Biden administration.” He further noted that for nine consecutive months up to January 2026 there were no parole releases of inadmissible aliens into communities.
In addition to migration figures, Guest pointed out that narcotic seizures at U.S. borders increased by 15% between December 2025 and January 2026.
Despite what he described as these successes, Guest expressed concern about ongoing funding issues at DHS: “Unfortunately, DHS is now facing another shutdown — one that was completely avoidable and is a direct result of Democrats’ refusal to put the safety of Americans ahead of partisan games.”
He stated that existing funding from legislation called the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” had allowed CBP personnel to continue their duties but warned that continued instability could threaten recent progress. He outlined goals including finishing construction on primary border wall segments and hiring additional personnel across several agencies.
Guest referenced a recent bipartisan funding bill passed by House Republicans aimed at providing full-year support for DHS programs but criticized Senate Democrats for not passing it yet. He cited testimony from officials with CBP, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), who said blocking long-term funding would harm coordination and hinder departmental operations.
He concluded: “While I am proud of our historic success over the last year, securing our borders for generations to come hinges on long-term resilience. The safety of our communities and the future of American border security demands action, not obstruction.”
“I urge my Democrat colleagues to see the state of the border not as a partisan issue, but as an American imperative, and I hope they will join us in ending this unnecessary shutdown once and for all,” Guest wrote.
