DHS claims illegal border crossings have plummeted even further under President Trump

The Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that the number of illegal immigrants coming across the border since President Donald Trump was inaugurated continues to plummet with the number of border patrol arrests in April the lowest it has been in 17 years.

DHS has seen a steady decline since Trump took office in January, although in most recent months, it appears to be leveling off. The department recorded 11,129 arrests in April, compared to 12,196 in March. And the number of illegal immigrant children crossing the border into the United States has fallen below 1,000 for the first time in recent history. Only 998 children were apprehended at the border, while 1,119 people were detained attempting to cross over illegally as families.

In the month of December, over 16,000 family members were apprehended, according to the Washington Times.

Compared to this time last year under President Barack Obama, border patrol arrests are down 70 percent. It is generally assumed by immigration experts that a drop in arrests at the border corresponds with lower overall traffic at the border.

Homeland Security has seen a drastic decrease in arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border since Trump took office in January after he ran a campaign with a central focus of cracking down on illegal immigration and building a border wall.

While the recently passed spending bill does not include additional border wall funding, Congress had already approved $20 million to go toward prototypes and general border security. Federal officials said construction on a 30-foot prototype wall will begin this summer in San Diego.