The Border

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Trump administration’s border security efforts are ongoing, including sending more National Guard troops to the southwest border. 

The most recent to be sent to Texas are from New York, the administration announced Friday. 

Last week, 120 New York Army National Guard soldiers assigned to the 204th Engineer Battalion were sent to Texas to participate in a federal mission, Operation Ardent Vanguard. Mobilization ceremonies were held at the armory in Binghamton, New York, including families of the Forward Support Company participating in an official send-off on Oct. 11.

The ceremonies marked the beginning of a yearlong mobilization to Texas in support of U.S. Border Patrol. 

U.S. Army soldiers in both companies have spent 12 months preparing for the deployment. 

The Headquarters and Headquarters Company will provide mission command for an Army task force operating in the region, led by Army Lt. Col. Kevin O’Reilly, battalion commander. 

Speaking to the soldiers and their families, O’Reilly said the Binghamton-based National Guard units have a history of service dating to the Civil War. 

He connected this legacy of service to their mission in Texas to support national security efforts along the border. 

“This is a long mission; stressors will come up on mission and at home,” he said. “Look to your left and right. We are a team, and we are going to help each other.”  

He also urged them to support each other as a team. “Don’t internalize and think you are alone,” he said. “I charge you to look out for each other. No matter what we face, we will overcome.”  

They were deployed to the Texas-Mexico border after roughly 400 National Guard troops were deployed to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas after U.S. Coast Guard crew were fired on by cartel operatives earlier this month, The Center Square reported. 

More than 20,000 troops have been deployed to the southwest border after President Donald Trump declared an invasion at the southwest border on his first day in office. He also implemented a series of directives, including directing the U.S. military to secure U.S. borders. This included directing U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) to oversee border security and strategic planning to implement territorial integrity and deploying federal personnel, including the National Guard, to take operational control of the southern border, The Center Square reported.

Trump declared an invasion after 55 Texas counties were the first and only ones to declare an invasion in the U.S., changing the national conversation, The Center Square exclusively reported. A majority of voters polled believe the U.S. was being invaded under the Biden administration. 

At the height of the border crisis, 24 governors sent National Guard troops and other resources to Texas to support Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security mission, Operation Lone Star, The Center Square reported. “While the federal government has abdicated its duties, Republican governors stand ready to protect the U.S.-Mexico border and keep families safe,” they said in a joint statement at the time. “Texas Governor Greg Abbott has exemplified leadership at a critical time, leading the way with Operation Lone Star, and deploying the Texas Tactical Border Force to prevent illegal crossings and keep the border secure.”

At the same time, the Biden administration sued Texas to thwart border security efforts, losing nearly all cases, The Center Square reported.

Through the Trump administration’s Operation Ardent Vanguard, NORTHCOM is supporting border security efforts being implemented by the U.S.  Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This includes “border defense, detection, monitoring and infrastructure support,” the DOW said. The Forward Support Company is providing logistics support, including maintenance, fuel transportation, supplies and materials to the 204th Engineer Battalion.

This article was originally published by The Center Square and is republished under its open-access guidelines.

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Illegal border crossings at the southwest border reached their lowest level in U.S. history over the past fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection preliminary fiscal 2026 data.

Southwest border apprehensions dropped by 95% from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2026, CBP said. 

CBP made the announcement on Saturday without publishing the data for the month of September. An estimate by The Center Square puts September nationwide encounters and apprehensions at close to 30,000. Every month, this number has hovered between 30,000 and 34,000, with the exception of February, according to CBP data.

Southwest apprehension totals hovered between 9,000 and 12,000 over the past fiscal year. At the northern border, they fluctuated between 3,500 and 6,500, according to CBP data. 

Over the past fiscal year through Aug. 31, nearly 350,000 had been apprehended nationwide, The Center Square reported.  

The total number of apprehensions is down from 3.2 million reported in 2023, the highest on record, according to CBP data. 

The Trump administration again claimed fiscal 2026 is “the first-ever fiscal year with zero Border Patrol releases. September marked the 17th consecutive month with ZERO releases.”

According to federal policy, unaccompanied alien children (UACs) are consistently released into the country, including to so-called sponsors. In fiscal 2026, 8,348 UACs were reported nationwide, according to CBP data through Aug. 31. The majority, 7,608, were at the southwest border, according to the data.

“FY 2026 demonstrated what focused enforcement, strong partnerships, and the commitment of our frontline personnel can achieve,” CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a statement. “DHS and CBP are securing the border, stopping dangerous drugs and criminals, protecting communities, and ensuring our personnel have the resources necessary for this critical mission.”

CBP says its “enforcement posture” drove Border Patrol apprehensions to their lowest level in agency history of less than 99,000. It is referring to southwest border apprehensions between ports of entry. When apprehensions at ports of entry are included, the number is higher. Total apprehensions at the southwest border through Aug. 31 were 128,000, according to CBP data. 

According to CBP’s Saturday announcement, CBP preliminary data shows total nationwide encounters in fiscal 2026 were the lowest in agency history at 379,243, compared to the 2.7 million per year reported under the Biden administration. This puts fiscal 2026 encounters at 88% lower than those during fiscal 2023, a year with the most encounters reported in U.S. history. 

Neither the Biden nor Trump administrations publicly release gotaway data to disclose how many foreign nationals illegally enter between ports of entry to intentionally evade capture. Under the Biden administration, more than 2 million gotaways were reported, according to data exclusively reported by The Center Square after obtaining it from Border Patrol agents. 

Gotaways are still coming through under the Trump administration. In Texas, they are being apprehended by Texas Operation Lone Star border security law enforcement working with Border Patrol. Federal troops are also at the southwest border responding to cartel shootings and supporting CBP and Border Patrol efforts, The Center Square reported.

The 95% drop at the southwest border reflects “sustained enforcement and the deterrent effect of a secure border. Illegal aliens have received a clear message: don’t try to enter the country illegally, or you will be apprehended, detained, and deported,” CBP said. These policies are also “saving lives by reducing unlawful crossings, leading to a dramatic decline in border-related deaths,” it added, without stating the number of deaths.

At the same time, more Americans and noncitizens have been shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Three shootings have occurred in Texas alone, leading to two deaths of Hispanic men, including one U.S. citizen. The second shooting in Houston prompted Gov. Greg Abbott to call for a state investigation. 

ICE and Border Patrol agents have also been the target of violence, with assaults against ICE up by more than 1,700% nationwide, The Center Square reported. Federal agents in Texas have been a consistent target of high-profile shootings, bomb threats, white powder being mailed among other threats. In these cases, the shooters and those making bomb threats were killed or convicted of domestic terrorism.

The administration has so far completed 250 miles of new border barrier construction along the southwest border since January 20, 2025. Through the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” CBP obligated $34.3 billion to support Smart Wall projects along the southwest border. Several billion of these funds were awarded to construction companies with a history of scandals, The Center Square reported.  

The administration is also being sued over border wall construction in the Big Bend region of Texas. The case is before the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal judge halted construction.

With more agents in the field, more drugs are being apprehended. According to preliminary CBP data, drug seizures in fiscal 2026 totaled a record nearly one million pounds, the agency said. This represents a 63% increase from the 600,000-pound annual average over the last four years.

This article was originally published by The Center Square and is republished under its open-access guidelines.

By Elyse Apel | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – White House border czar Tom Homan said over the weekend that federal investigators have a “strong case” against U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar.

These comments come less than a week after Homeland Security Investigations searched the Minnesota Democrat’s Washington, D.C., home. Reports have linked the search to an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her naturalization as a U.S. citizen.

In an interview on Saturday, Homan addressed whether Omar could face legal consequences.

“I’m not going to get ahead of the bureau,” Homan said. “We will let the evidence lead where it leads. But she will be held to the same standards you and I are held. If she violated law, then she will be held accountable.”

When asked what the investigation is examining and whether it extends beyond potential immigration fraud, Homan said he “knows things” but directed the question to the FBI.

The FBI did not respond to a request for comment from The Center Square.

Over the weekend, former President Barack Obama joined the many Democrats and civil rights groups condemning the raid.

“It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say,” Obama said in a social media post on Sunday. “But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.”

The Democrat called claims regarding Omar’s immigration status “unsubstantiated,” also stating that this investigation is because the Trump administration is “actively trying to deport” Omar.

“The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president,” Obama said. “The fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans.”

Federal officials searched Omar’s home early Monday morning, according to a statement the U.S. Department of Justice provided The Center Square.

“Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice,” said a spokesperson. “This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.”

That same spokesperson declined to comment further on “investigations.”

Attorneys for Omar have demanded that items—including her phone—taken during the raid be returned to the congresswoman, stating its seizure was “neither justified nor lawful,” according to reports. Members of her family are among more than a dozen people who have been subpoenaed by a grand jury.

The raid came just a month after Homan confirmed that Omar is actively under investigation by DHS.

Omar, who immigrated to the United States in 1995, has faced scrutiny for years over the circumstances surrounding her naturalization as a citizen.

In September, Homan refused to reveal many details regarding the “ongoing criminal investigation,” besides that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are the ones conducting it.

Since the raid, other federal officials have joined Homan in confirming the case is “strong,” adding that this is not a politically-motivated prosecution.

“We try to let the law follow the facts, rather than creating facts just to prosecute people we don’t like,” Vance said last week. “I do know there are some serious allegations against Ilhan Omar . . . If there’s a real case there, we’re going to follow the facts.”

The scrutiny includes longstanding allegations that Omar married her brother to facilitate immigration fraud. Omar denied the allegations in 2016, calling them “disgusting lies.”

In December, Omar called an effort to examine records pertaining to her immigration “sick.”

“I have no response because I don’t know what they’ll be investigating,” Omar told a reporter. She added that investigators would “absolutely not” find anything.

According to federal officials, the investigation has been ongoing for some months.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin also discussed the issue in September, alleging that they’ve already determined that she married her brother.

“Something’s going to happen,” Mullin said. “We know that she married her brother to try to bring him to the United States. We know he now lives in London.”

Mullin also threw out the prospect of deportation, which would first require denaturalization.

“There may be more to this, the whole family migration and possibly some illegal activity for them to come to the United States to begin with,” Mullin said. “If we can prove it, that you shouldn’t have been here in the first place, we will deport you.”

Omar, who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, has served in Congress since 2019. She addressed the investigation last week.

“Thank you to everyone who stood with me over the years,” Omar said in a post on her personal social media. “It’s been a scary journey but I have always been grounded in my work and ability to provide exemplary service to my constituents.”

Omar added that she has felt targeted.

“Trump and his administration have been after me since I arrived in Congress,” she said. “I have always stood up to him and that will never change. The pedophile protector will never silence me.”

This article was originally published by The Center Square and is republished under its open-access guidelines.