The United States border has been closed to all illegal migrants for over twelve months.
Posted by The Dan Bongino Show, Checked
- Sources
- 3 contradict2 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
The Dan Bongino ShowOct 19, 2026
Sources support the 'effectively closed' reading: DHS reports 17 consecutive months with zero Border Patrol releases through September 2026, which covers the twelve-plus months before the 2026-10-19 post. The literal 'closed to all illegal migrants' reading is contradicted, because CBP data show roughly 8,000–11,000 monthly nationwide apprehensions, about 3,000 of them at-large, and reporting describes ongoing gotaways and tunnel crossings.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… How much of this are you willing to give away to elect these freaking lunatics, folks? Please don't stop the momentum of what this Trump administration is doing. Breaking news today: you just saw it, another massive voter fraud bust. The border effectively shut down, closed, no illegal migrants admitted into the country for, what is it now, twelve plus months. Crime plunging to all time lows, even in blue cities. Median household income going up, poverty rate in all time low. Please don't stop the momentum for a group of sham Alyssa Slatkin impeachments and investigations against you too, folks. …
The Dan Bongino Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. CBP monthly data show Border Patrol apprehensions continuing every month from October 2025 through August 2026, including about 3,000 at-large apprehensions per month, so the border was not closed to all illegal crossings.[1]
Contradicts. Reporting describes ongoing illegal crossings, with about 400 migrants apprehended per day in July 2026 and 9,791 gotaways identified in the current fiscal year as of April 2026.[4][5]
Supports. DHS reported on 2026-10-16 that September 2026 was the 17th consecutive month with zero Border Patrol releases, and that FY2026 was the first fiscal year with no releases.[2][3]
Context. The BBC describes the border as 'largely closed' rather than fully closed, which matches the mixed picture of near-zero releases alongside continued crossings.[6]
Sources
6 sources: 3 primary, 2 not rated, 1 tier 1
- 1Nationwide Encounters - U.S. Customs and Border Protectioncbp.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts
- 2Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, DHS Announces ...dhs.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 3Oct FY26 Border Brief - homeland.house.govhomeland.house.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4'Our border is closed': inside Trump's push for zero migrants — and the tunnels defying itkvia.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 5Gotaways create border vulnerabilities, leave DHS with work to donewsnationnow.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 6Five ways Trump has changed immigration in the USbbc.com · tier 1 · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
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