Trump celebrates historic border security victory with new medal
WASHINGTON (KWTX) — President Donald Trump presented the newly created Mexican Border Defense Medal to U.S. service members Monday, recognizing their exceptional efforts securing the nation’s southern border, Trump administration announced.
“We’re here to honor our military men and women for their central role in the protection of our border,” Trump said at the medal presentation.
Administration officials say the southern border has been dramatically transformed under Trump’s leadership, reaching security levels not seen in decades through strong enforcement measures.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security say more than 2.5 million people in the country illegally have been deported since Trump returned to office. Illegal border crossings have dropped to their lowest levels since 1970, with the U.S. heading toward net negative migration for the first time in at least 50 years.
For seven consecutive months, no illegal individuals have been released into the country, officials report.
“They don’t mention the border anymore. Nobody talks about the border. They talk about affordability,” Trump said.
Enforcement actions have focused on sanctuary cities nationwide, including Los Angeles, Nashville, Washington D.C., Chicago, Memphis, Charlotte, Boston and Minneapolis. Tens of thousands of criminal individuals in the country illegally have been removed from these communities, the administration reports.
Administration officials say monthly drug fatalities among Americans continue to fall as authorities crack down on deadly fentanyl smuggling across the border.
Officials report rescuing more than 62,000 migrant children from sex and labor trafficking operations, including many who went missing during the previous Biden administration.
American-born workers experienced significant job growth, gaining 2.57 million positions between January and September, while foreign-born employment dropped by 1.03 million during the same timeframe, according to administration figures.
New international student enrollment at U.S. colleges and universities declined 17% from the previous year, officials said.
The administration overturned what officials describe as failed Biden-era immigration policies that allowed millions to enter the country illegally. Key changes include restoring “Remain in Mexico,” continuing border wall construction, eliminating catch-and-release practices, shutting down the “CBP One” mobile application, pausing refugee admissions and cutting public benefits for those in the country illegally.
Several transnational criminal organizations received Foreign Terrorist Organization designations, including Tren de Aragua, MS-13, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the United Cartels, the Gulf Cartel, the Northeast Cartel and the Michoacán Family.
The president signed the Laken Riley Act, mandating detention for individuals charged with violent crimes who are in the country illegally, officials confirmed.
Improved screening procedures for foreign workers aim to prevent hostile ideologies from gaining influence in America, the administration says.
“It has been one team, one mission to get 100% operational control of the southern border … border security is national security,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said.
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