Treasury Report Shows 60% Drop in Smuggling Transactions

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network reported that financial transactions linked to human smuggling fell by over 60% in 2025, dropping to 11,018 flagged transfers. This decline coincides with the first year of Donald Trump's second administration, which implemented restrictions on the asylum system, accelerated deportations, and rolled back immigrant protections. These policy shifts resulted in a roughly 90% decrease in official migrant encounters at the southern border.

Despite the lower volume of transactions, suspected smuggling-related funds totaled more than $4.9 billion between 2023 and 2025. Money-transfer firms accounted for 97% of the suspicious transfers identified in the report.

Authorities noted that smugglers and migrants are increasingly adopting riskier methods to evade detection. These include seaborne attempts and dangerous land crossings, a trend highlighted by the discovery of six dead migrants in a train car near Laredo, Texas, in May.