The Trump administration has not released a single illegal alien into the country in 16 straight months.
Posted by The Dan Bongino Show, Checked
- Sources
- 3 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 75%
The Dan Bongino ShowOct 16, 2026
DHS and CBP report 16 consecutive months of zero Border Patrol releases at the border through August 2026, and the White House repeated the figure, so the claim holds as of 2026-10-16.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… Just because of our policies, we also have the safest country in 126 years, the lowest murder rate, the lowest violent crime rate in 126 years. We have a secure border. We've not released a single illegal alien into the country in 16 straight months. We have more jobs, more opportunity. We created a million private sector jobs in the last 19 months in this country, and the success goes on and on. Lowest prescription drug prices in 60 years. …
The Dan Bongino Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. DHS announced on September 16, 2026 that the Border Patrol had 16 consecutive months of zero releases at the border, citing August figures and CBP data.[4]
Supports. The White House published a September 20, 2026 video titled '16 Months of Zero Releases at The Border,' repeating the same figure.[5]
Supports. PolitiFact reported in February 2026 that DHS said Border Patrol had not released any immigrants for eight months while they await court proceedings, consistent with a sustained no-release trend.[1]
Context. AP reports that ICE releases some detainees on bond, an increasingly rare occurrence, so releases into the country outside Border Patrol custody have not been zero. The claim's 'into the country' wording is broader than the border-release measure the sources document.[2]
Context. Factcheck.org's review of Trump's rallies does not address the release count, so the verdict rests on the DHS/CBP figures.[3]
Sources
5 sources: 3 fact-checkers, 2 primary
- 1State of the Union fact-check: Trump exaggerates on ...politifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Trump has made sweeping changes to immigration enforcementapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 3FactChecking Claims from Trump’s Midterm Ralliesfactcheck.org · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 4Trump Administration Delivers 16 Straight Months of Zero ...dhs.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 516 Months of Zero Releases at The Borderwhitehouse.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post