Following the 2024 election, but before inauguration, IDGA sent out a Homeland Security Survey to individuals representing federal and local law enforcement, as well as those representing industry serving border security industries with the tools and resources they need to accomplish their missions. The results from that survey show that collaboration between American law enforcement agencies and their international partners is a work in progress.

In order to promote a cooperative environment in the border community, IDGA has established the Border Technology Summit, taking place September 28-29th in San Diego, California. The two-day summit spotlights the latest advancements in biometrics, non-intrusive inspection (NII), AI-powered surveillance, maritime domain awareness, and integrated border operations. The survey results provided in this report dive into some of these themes as well as topics such as training and resources.

In conjunction with a new administration in the White House, operations on U.S. borders have shifted drastically in 2025. Figures from Customs & Border Patrol (CBP) show apprehensions at U.S. borders are higher than they were at this time a year ago, and a recent travel ban has restricted entrance into the U.S. for citizens from 12 countries.

In its first six months, the Trump administration has moved quickly to mitigate what the White House is calling an “invasion” taking place on the southern border. On Inauguration Day, January 20th, the new administration moved quickly to sign a handful of new policies directed towards American borders. This report will highlight how executive orders, CBP mission areas, and DoD actions on the southern border have established a new normal for American border security. The first section will look at the instructions explicitly laid out in the executive orders signed by President Trump.

If you are interested in learning more about the future of border security, register for IDGA’s Border Technology Summit taking place September 23-24 in San Diego, California. The two-day summit provides a forum to explore the latest advancements in border security technology. This year, we are focusing on engaging our audience with high-level discussions surrounding advancements in biometrics, non-intrusive inspection, smart walls, current and future operations of border security, and much more.

The latest figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) show that May 2025 was a historic month for the border agency. In the month of May, CBP released zero illegal aliens into the interior of the U.S., seized 708 pounds of fentanyl, and a 191% year over year increase in heroin seizures.

San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego, California, is one of the busiest land-border crossings in the world and was the site of many of the apprehensions and seizures in May. Mariza Marin is the CBP Port Director at San Ysidro, where she leads many of the border officers responsible for the agency’s success so far in 2025.

This September, Director Marin will be on-site at IDGA’s Border Technology Summit where she will participate in a panel discussion with fellow CBP port directors. Before the summit, she sat down with IDGA to share her day-to-day duties as a port director, technologies shaping border operations, and the value of collaborating with staff at other ports of entry.

If you are interested in hearing from the officers responsible for securing U.S. borders, such as Director Marin, register for the Border Technology Summit taking place September 23-24 in San Diego, California.