Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

More than 2.5 million illegal immigrants have left the United States under the Trump administration, a “record-breaking achievement” in a year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a Dec. 10 statement.

The 2.5 million figure includes more than 605,000 individuals deported as part of DHS enforcement operations and around 1.9 million illegal immigrants who have voluntarily self-deported since January.

“Since January 20, DHS has arrested more than 595,000 illegal aliens,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said. “Illegal aliens are hearing our message to leave now. They know if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return,” the department said.

DHS encouraged illegal immigrants to use the CBP Home app, which allows them to notify the federal government of their intent to depart the United States willingly. Those who self-deport via the app get $1,000 and a free flight home.

According to DHS, it has prioritized the removal of the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal immigrants as part of the administration’s push to ensure law and order in the country.

The rapid decline in the illegal immigrant population is showing effects nationwide, such as a “resurgence in local job markets,” DHS said. In October, 12,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy, which followed 431,000 additions in September.

President Donald Trump recently commended DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for a closed, secure border.

“We have a border that is the best border in the history of our country,” he said.

In a Dec. 10 post on X, Noem said that DHS’s accomplishments this year under Trump have been “historic.”

“None of it would be possible without the Homeland Security Advisory Council,” she said. “The men and women of this council provide their experience and insights to help deliver seven consecutive months of zero illegal entries, a revitalized Coast Guard, and more than 2.4 million deportations.”

The council provides the DHS secretary with advice and recommendations on homeland security issues and comprises leaders from state and local governments, academia, the private sector, and first responder communities.

However, the Trump administration’s enforcement against illegal immigrants has faced pushback from lawmakers.

Earlier this month, a group of lawmakers introduced the Dream Act of 2025, seeking to allow noncitizens who do not have lawful status and were brought to the United States as children to potentially qualify for lawful permanent residence and citizenship provided they meet certain work, military, or education requirements, according to a Dec. 4 statement from the office of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).

These individuals, referred to as Dreamers, must pass security and law enforcement background checks while proving proficiency in the English language and possessing knowledge of American history.

They must not have committed a felony or other serious crimes and should not pose a threat to the United States, the statement said.

“For decades, gridlock and partisan politics have forced Dreamers to live in limbo. And under the Trump Administration, they now have to fear being swept up in Trump’s cruel mass deportation campaign at any moment,” Padilla said.

Nearly 2 million “Dreamers” are estimated to live in the United States.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s policies are continuing to be a robust barrier against the uncontrolled influx of illegal immigrants.

In October and November, there were 60,940 total encounters with illegal immigrants by border patrol agents nationwide, which is the “lowest start to a fiscal year ever,” Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a Dec. 4 statement.

Since Trump took office, nationwide apprehensions have averaged less than 10,000 per month, which is a “level of deterrence unmatched in modern border history,” CBP said.

“For the seventh consecutive month, U.S. Border Patrol released zero illegal aliens into the United States. Every individual apprehended was processed according to law—a milestone unmatched in modern border history,” it said.

On Dec. 8, DHS announced the launch of a new “Worst of the Worst” webpage on its website that details information on criminal illegal immigrants arrested by the department under the Trump administration.

Americans can search through data of criminal illegal immigrants who have been arrested from all 50 states with criminal histories including homicide, rape, assault, child molestation, drug trafficking, armed robbery, and battery.

According to DHS, 70 percent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests are of criminal illegal immigrants who have been charged or convicted of a crime in the United States.

“As the media whitewashes the facts, day in and day out, our brave men and women of ICE risk their lives for the American people. Americans don’t have to rely on the press for this information—with this transparent tool, they can see for themselves what public safety threats were lurking in their neighborhoods and communities,” McLaughlin said.