By Aldgra Fredly

The U.S. Border Patrol announced on Dec. 5 that it will impose a $5,000 apprehension fee on any individuals arrested for entering the country illegally.

In a social media post, the agency stated that illegal immigrants aged 14 or older who entered the United States “without inspection” will be subject to the apprehension fee under the law.

The fee also applies to violations of laws involving immigrant smuggling into the United States or providing material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations, according to the Border Patrol.

“This message applies to all illegal aliens—regardless of where they entered, how long they’ve been in the U.S., their current location, or any ongoing immigration proceedings,” the agency stated.

The apprehension fee was authorized under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that President Donald Trump signed into law in July. The bill states that the fee could be imposed on illegal immigrants “apprehended between ports of entry.”

Trump has made curbing illegal border crossings a top priority for his administration in his second term. He signed an executive order on Jan. 20 directing his administration to build barriers at the border, remove “promptly all aliens who enter or remain in violation of federal law,” and pursue criminal charges for violations of immigration laws.

His order states that the country has seen a “large-scale invasion at an unprecedented level” over the past four years, with millions of illegal immigrants entering the country, including potential terrorists, foreign spies, members of cartels, and other hostile actors with malicious intent.

To further tighten border security, Trump signed several executive actions aimed at deterring illegal immigration, including a memo authorizing the military to take control of land along the U.S.–Mexico border.

Meanwhile, preliminary data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Dec. 4 show that border encounters dropped from 30,573 in October to 30,367 in November. CBP said the two months combined mark the lowest opening to a fiscal year on record, with a total of 60,940 encounters.

CBP maintained its streak of zero releases of apprehended individuals into the United States for the seventh straight month, processing them all according to law.

Border Patrol apprehensions averaged under 10,000 monthly since Trump took office for his second term, the data show. Daily southwest border apprehensions averaged 245—less than 11 per hour—a 95 percent decrease from the prior administration’s 5,110 daily average from February 2021 to December 2024.

“These numbers reflect the tireless efforts of our agents and officers who are delivering results that redefine border security. We’re not slowing down,” CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a Dec. 4 statement.

Kimberly Hayek contributed to this report.