Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Border Security topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State Department cites steep border‑crossing drops; outlines Diplomatic Security Service role after Title 8 delegation
Summary
A State Department spokesperson repeated administration figures showing large year‑over‑year drops in border crossings in March 2025 and described the Diplomatic Security Service’s law‑enforcement role after DHS delegated Title 8 authorities; the department referred operational questions to DHS.
The State Department on Friday repeated administration figures claiming steep declines in unauthorized migration and described the Diplomatic Security Service’s (DSS) law‑enforcement role after the Department of Homeland Security delegated certain Title 8 authorities.
The spokesperson said that in March 2025 "illegal crossings at the Southwest Border dropped by 94% compared to March of last year" and that crossings through the Darién Gap fell by "an extraordinary 99.5% over the same period," citing the administration’s enforcement and regional cooperation efforts. The spokesperson attributed such results to combined measures of enforcement, communications with regional partners and deterrence.
Reporters asked about interagency coordination and whether the State Department was working with the Department of Defense on deportation flights to South American countries. The spokesperson said diplomatic services are “actively partnering with DHS in implementation guidance and mandatory training related to DSS enforcement of statutes and regulations” and noted that on Feb. 18 the Department of Homeland Security delegated Title 8 authorities to Diplomatic Security Service personnel.
The spokesperson emphasized that DSS’s primary mission is to protect diplomatic assets, personnel and information and to combat transnational crimes connected to visa and passport fraud and trafficking, but referred operational questions about deportation flights and interagency logistics to DHS and to the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force in the case of state cooperation.
The department did not provide operational details about specific deportation flight manifests, DOD involvement or specific interagency planning at the briefing.
