(The Center Square) – Illegal border crossings dropped to their lowest level in recorded U.S. history in June.

Nationwide, 25,228 illegal border crossers were apprehended, the lowest monthly total in history, according to newly published U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

The greatest number apprehended were nationwide at land, sea and air ports of entry totaling 10,089, followed by 9,306 at the southwest border and 5,833 at the northern border, according to the data.

By comparison, under the Biden administration, there were 204,932 illegal border crossers reported in June 2024, 211,457 in June 2023 and 247,523 in June 2022, the highest numbers ever recorded for the month of June in U.S. history.

June apprehension data dropped from roughly 29,000, where it held consistent in May, April and March. These monthly totals dropped significantly after President Donald Trump entered office, down from 142,751 in October at the beginning of the fiscal year under the Biden administration.

As was the case every month and every year under the Biden and Trump administrations, the majority of illegal entries last month were of single adults, followed by individuals claiming to be in a family unit and unaccompanied minors.

Under the Biden administration, a record number of unaccompanied minors were smuggled and trafficked to the U.S. In fiscal 2022, nearly 153,000 unaccompanied minor illegal border crossers were reported, followed by 137,992 in fiscal 2023 and 110,672 in fiscal 2024. This fiscal year, 27,467 have been reported to date, according to CBP data.

Under new CBP Chief Rodney Scott, CBP is publishing additional information about Border Patrol apprehension data. It’s broken down by monthly totals reported nationwide, at the southwest and northern borders, “at entry” and “at large.” It excludes Office of Field Operations data.

CBP explains that Border Patrol apprehensions at entry “refers to an alien who has entered the United States without admission and has not yet reached his/her destination, regardless of the amount of time since entry.” Border Patrol apprehensions at large “refers to an alien who has illegally entered the United States, has already reached their destination, and is encountered or who was legally admitted and has since overstayed their permitted time, illegally remaining in the U.S.”

The data shows a 90% drop in Border Patrol apprehensions from June 2024 to June 2025. Border Patrol agents apprehended 87,606 illegal foreign nationals nationwide in June 2024. Among them, 1,800 were apprehended at large and 85,806 at entry. By June 2025, Border Patrol agents apprehended 8,024 nationwide, reporting 2,541 at large and 5,483 at entry, according to the data.

While illegal entries were down, drug seizures were up because more Border Patrol agents were in the field looking for drug traffickers. Total seizures of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana increased by 13% nationwide compared to May, “reflecting continued pressure on cartel-driven smuggling routes,” CBP said.

The greatest increase of seizures was of meth, up by 102% from seizures in May. Heroin seizures increased by 19%, cocaine seizures increased by 9% and fentanyl seizures increased by 3% over the month.

(The Center Square) – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed a new chief financial officer, long-time ally Blaise Ingoglia, at a news conference in Tampa on Wednesday.

The former state senator, representative replaces U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis, who was elected to represent the 1st Congressional District. DeSantis said one of the reasons he appointed Ingoglia to the post was his views on wasteful government spending and property tax reform, which the two-term GOP governor wants on the November 2026 ballot. 

DeSantis said one indicator of Ingoglia’s views on government accountability is his personal X handle, GovGoneWild.

“I’m like, what does that mean?” DeSantis said. “And he told me that was years ago, he was watching out of control spending at the local level and he’s like, ‘why are we paying higher property taxes when you guys are spending like this?’ And it was really to be an activist, to get new people in at the local level that would be friendly to taxpayers, and now, as chief financial officer, this is really going to come full circle for him because he’s going to have the authority to go in and audit all those local governments and really hold them accountable. I care about record and on every single time we’ve had a flash point in the Florida Legislature, Blaise is running to battle to stand up for people like you.”

DeSantis lauded Ingoglia, whom he said was a “warrior senator” with a great record on immigration enforcement, the second amendment and other issues. He also said the appointment was key since the post has the ability to audit local government spending as part of the state’s Department of Government Efficiency. 

Ingoglia says he wants to have a “proactive office” to protect taxpayer funds and implement maximum accountability.

“I’ve had a history of calling out wasteful spending whether it was Democrats or Republicans because I truly believe that government is accountable to the people and our job is to make sure we deliver on that promise,” Ingoglia said. “I am going to work hand in glove, side by side, with this governor to make sure we can get rid of the property taxes on homestead exemption and offer real property tax relief to the people of Florida. Part of that is also making sure we are cutting back, cutting away and eliminating wasteful spending at the local level. I promise you we are going to start digging in and we are going to start calling out some of this wasteful spending.”

(The Center Square) – In a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, a Minnesota man accused of killing the former House speaker and her husband said he was told by Gov. Tim Walz to also kill U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith.

A six-county federal grand jury indictment recently unsealed contained details of a letter Vance Boelter addressed to Patel while he was on the run and the subject of the largest manhunt in Minnesota history.

Boelter faces federal charges of stalking and murder in the deaths of Speaker Emerita Melissa Holtman and her husband Mark Holtman, along with the stalking and shooting of John and Yvette Hoffmam and the attempted shooting of Hope Hoffman. 

He could face the death penalty.

“Vance Boelter planned and carried out a night of terror that shook Minnesota to its core,” interim U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said in a statement.  “He carried out targeted political assassinations the likes of which have never been seen in Minnesota. We grieve with the Hortman family and continue to pray for the recovery of the Hoffmans. Today, a grand jury indicted Boelter with the most serious of federal charges for these heinous political assassinations. Let me be clear: Boelter will see justice.”

As previously reported by The Center Square, an affidavit from prosecutors details what officials call Boelter’s detailed planning and actions the night before and during the early-morning hours of the shootings, along with circumstances that took place during Boelter’s nearly two days on the run.

Boetler bought a Buick sedan and electric bike from an individual he met at a bus stop as he worked to escape authorities, prosecutors say.

The affidavit contains a letter written by Boetler addressed to Patel that officials found in the Buick after it had been abandoned. It said Walz wanted him to kill Minnesota’s two U.S. senators so Walz could take one of those seats.

Following the manhunt, Boelter was arrested around 9 p.m. on June 15 near his home in Green Isle.

“Last month, the state of Minnesota experienced fear and panic,” said Alvin M. Winston Sr., the senior agent in charge of FBI Minneapolis. “Today, Vance Boelter was indicted by a federal grand jury, marking another step forward in our pursuit of justice. His targeted violence was an attack on the rule of law, resulting in a manhunt involving hundreds of law enforcement officers who worked tirelessly until Boelter was apprehended.”