<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="center">Apparently, President Donald Trump&rsquo;s tough immigration policies have had the impact he was hoping for.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The number of immigrants crossing the U.S. southern border illegally has dropped by 40% in Trump&rsquo;s first full month, according to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly on Wednesday.  ;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Prior to Trump taking office, the number of illegal border crossings were estimated to be at 31,578. This number drastically dropped to 18,762 by February 21.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span> ;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kelly also said that it&rsquo;s common to see an increase of 10-20% in illegal immigrant apprehensions during this time period. This wasn&rsquo;t the case this year.  ;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">23,589 people were apprehended at the border in February, while the month prior there were 42,504 apprehensions.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&ldquo;The drop in apprehensions shows a marked change in trends,&rdquo; said Kelly. &ldquo;This trend is encouraging because it means many fewer people are putting themselves and their families at risk of exploitation, assault and injury by human traffickers and the physical dangers of the treacherous journey north.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Within the first few days of his presidency, Trump made it clear he was going to keep his campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration.  ;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&ldquo;Since the administration&rsquo;s implementation of executive orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years,&rdquo; said Kelly.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of his first actions as president was signing an executive order that increased border security and authorized the construction of the border wall.  ;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kelly also mentioned that smugglers, who illegally sneak immigrants into the country, are charging much more now. Usually, it costs $3,500 (like it did in November,) but now smugglers are charging $8,000.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Not only is there more risk when smuggling now, but obviously business is suffering so much, influencing the prices to skyrocket.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Although this recent report shows promising numbers, Trump&rsquo;s administration is going to continue to aggressively address the immigration problem.  ;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&ldquo;We will remain vigilant to respond to any changes in these trends, as numbers of illegal crossings typically increase between March and May,&rdquo; said Kelly. &ldquo;However, the early results show that enforcement matters, deterrence matters, and that comprehensive immigration enforcement can make an impact.&rdquo;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Trump said he will be hiring on 5,000 more border patrol officials and 10,000 ICE agents to help process the influx of deportations. With that in mind, the lowest illegal border crossing numbers have yet to come.</p>
<p> ;</p>