U.S. authorities completed a 13th consecutive month without releasing an illegal border crosser into the country to pursue an asylum claim, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data obtained by Breitbart Texas.

The milestone came as Border Patrol apprehensions along the southwest border fell below 10,000 in May, marking the lowest monthly total in more than three decades.

CBP recorded 9,998 apprehensions between ports of entry along the southern border in May, an average of 323 per day, according to figures provided to Breitbart Texas.

The total was 94% below the average monthly apprehension count during former President Joe Biden's administration and 96% below peak levels during that period, when a single Border Patrol sector recorded about 17,000 apprehensions over five days, according to Breitbart Texas reporting.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin tied the streak to President Donald Trump's enforcement posture.

"Thirteen straight months of ZERO releases at the border. Under President Donald Trump's leadership, we are delivering the most secure border in American history," he said in a statement.

"The days of catch and release are over."

The comparison echoes statements from former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who told Border Patrol agents in January 2024 that the rate of release for illegal immigrants apprehended at the southern border was "above 85%," according to a Fox News report cited in a House Judiciary Committee filing.

The collapse in crossings has freed agents to shift toward counternarcotics work, CBP told the outlet, with combined seizures of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl and marijuana up 32% in May compared with May 2024.

Fentanyl seizures jumped 72% from April, and marijuana seizures ran 61% above the fiscal 2024 monthly average. Overall narcotics seizures are 56% higher than during the comparable period of fiscal 2024.

CBP says the seizure surge is squeezing cartel revenue, including from organizations the Trump administration has designated as foreign terrorist organizations, and that removing fentanyl from the supply is helping sustain a drop in overdose deaths.

The agency says the sharp decline in illegal crossings has allowed agents to return to their core border security mission.