'Significant decline': US-Mexico border agents give ABC13 a 5 hour ride-along on the frontlines

EL PASO, Texas (KTRK) -- Monday marks a month since President Donald Trump was inaugurated.

In four weeks, we've seen a crackdown on immigration enforcement through presidential executive orders.

Southern border agents say illegal border crossings have been on the decline since last fiscal year, but deportation flights are on the rise.

All week, ABC13 has brought you a closer look at how border cities are doing as immigration changes and conversations continue.

Thursday morning, photojournalist Chris Carr and reporter Daniela Hurtado were granted access to a closer look at what these federal agents are seeing and experiencing daily.

The day started early as the ABC13 crew embedded with border patrol in the El Paso sector of the border wall.

A safety briefing at five in the morning set the scene for what would turn into a 5-hour ride-along with southern border agents.

The border patrol vehicle weaved in and out of a path of darkness, valleys, and miles of dirt road along the 30-foot border wall in New Mexico.

The patrol vehicle along the path drove past multiple border agents stationed across the 264 miles of the El Paso sector. Over the radio, nothing but silence.

"We've seen a significant decline in the number of illegal crossings," Customs and Border Protection spokesperson Landon Hutchens said.

As the sun rose and the wind whipped, the embedded crew started to get a clear view of the two countries divided by a steel barrier.

RELATED: Border crossings are down and refugee shelters in border cities are seeing decrease first hand

Through the ride-along, CBP agents pointed out that we spotted United States soldiers keeping a watch alongside border agents.

Cameras equipped with advanced artificial intelligence technology as an extra eye that some call a game changer for border security.

The CBP Air and Marine Operation Black Hawk is also above the others.

Customs and Border Protection representatives say the Santa Teresa, New Mexico, area is one of the busiest for migrant encounters.

They say the area is also known for cartel activity.

"International criminal organization operations not only affect border communities but the entire country," U.S. Border Patrol Agent in El Paso Sector, Claudio Herrera, said.

Herrera says the sector, which once had hundreds of encounters and apprehensions daily, now has fewer than a hundred a day.

"We're talking about a 62% decrease in apprehension compared to the same time frame of fiscal year 2024," Herrera said.

Landon Hutchens with Customs and Border Protection credits the decline in part to the Title 8 consequences, including strict penalties, including five to 10-year bans on re-entry for people deported.

CBP says they remain concerned about the cartels that prey on the desperation of migrants from all over the world seeking a better life.

"They're often held for kidnapping and ransom, and they're not released until their family pays another $9,000 to $10,000," Hutchens said.

CBP urges people in cities like Houston not to pay smuggling fees, alluding to the danger it poses.

Five hours flew by, and in that time, CBP in the sector received no calls for illegal crossings or apprehensions, perhaps a sign of the times.

For updates on this story, follow Daniela Hurtado on Facebook, X and Instagram.