Trump Admin Sets New Record For Illegal Alien Prosecutions

The Trump administration has set a new monthly record for criminal prosecution of illegal aliens in June, as it utilizes a powerful tool in its multi-agency approach to crack down on illegal immigration.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) brought cases against more than 3,000 illegal aliens last month, charging the foreign nationals with illegal reentry, a new report indicates. The charge can be brought against illegal aliens who reenter the United States after having been previously deported back to their country of origin. DOJ prosecutors brought an additional 3,200 cases against illegal aliens for illegal entry.

The decision to criminally prosecute thousands of illegal aliens is part of the administration’s “whole of government” approach to curtailing illegal immigration. The DOJ asserted that it is “using all available investigative and prosecutorial tools” in the effort to fight the “invasion of illegal immigration.”

Jonathan Fahey, former assistant U.S. attorney in Virginia and the acting director at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in President Trump’s first term, explained that the cases almost always end in a conviction. Prosecutors are tasked with proving that the illegal alien has previously been deported, but is currently present in the United States despite the prior deportation.

“They’re a great way to get a conviction, a great way to get a criminal off the street, and a great way to remove them from the country in an expeditious way,” Fahey noted.

While cases have been brought against illegal aliens in states across the country, the increase in prosecutions has been particularly notable in New Mexico. Authorities in the state brought forward 245 cases in May and another 277 in June, marking more than a 100 percent increase since late 2024, when fewer than 100 cases were brought forward each month.

The cases are one more way that the Trump administration has discouraged illegal immigration and encouraged illegal aliens currently present in the United States to self-deport back to their country of origin.

The strategies appear to have been effective, with illegal alien encounters plummeting more than 90 percent in certain months while tens of thousands of illegal aliens are said to have voluntarily left the United States.