Is Trump Stopping Illegal Immigration? Border Crossing Rates Will Soar In March And May, Data Shows

President Donald Trump's hardline stance on illegal immigration and focus on curbing southern border crossing showed "an unprecedented decline in traffic" but illegal immigration rates will have their typical increase in March, April and May, the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday night in a press release.

The Trump administration celebrated newly released Customs and Border Protection data, revealing a 40 percent decline in illegal immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border February. Kelly suggested the president’s immigration agenda has served as a deterrent to migrants throughout Latin America making the trek up north to the United States.

Read more: How Donald Trump May Be Creating Fake News About Immigrants Every Week

"This is encouraging news," Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly said. "The early results show that enforcement matters, deterrence matters, and that comprehensive immigration enforcement can make an impact."

There were nearly 13,000 less apprehensions and asylum-seekers presenting themselves to U.S. authorities along the southern border in February, down from 31,578 in January to 18,762 total people detained by Customs and Border Protection.

The decrease in border crossing follows an ongoing trend in declining illegal immigration throughout former President Barack Obama's tenure in the White House.

The Department of Homeland Security did not credit the Obama administration for deporting more undocumented immigrants than any president in American history, however, nor did Kelly's statement acknowledge December rates also declined by 40 percent, while Trump's predecessor was still the sitting president.

Despite the apparent massive drop in border crossing throughout the winter months, rates will likely see an uptick over the following months, as the southern border region warms and migrants are more likely to travel from Mexico into the U.S., Kelly warned.

"We will remain vigilant to respond to any changes in these trends, as numbers of illegal crossings typically increase between March and May," he said.

Meanwhile, Obama's former aides criticized the White House’s celebration of declining border rates, saying the new administration has scared immigrants from traveling to the U.S.

"Well, the bullies can gloat and preen that they chased the skinny kids off the block," Leon Rodriguez, former director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under Obama, told CNN Wednesday. "We need to understand what has occurred here. Poor people -- in many cases, mothers with children or children alone, fleeing intolerable violence and poverty -- have been scared away. Many of those are people with legitimate asylum claims that would ultimately have been granted had they actually reached ports of entry."