TUCSON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials at the Tucson Sector touted what they termed “border security successes,” citing decreases in fentanyl seizures and migrant crossings.  

Beyond drug seizures, officials noted development of port of entry modernization projects and a drop in rescue operations during a wide-ranging press conference on Wednesday.

Stephen Cristinzio, acting deputy chief border patrol agent for the Tucson Sector, said it has seen a 61% decrease in the number of fentanyl seizures in the past two fiscal years. Officials also said there was a decrease in the total amount of fentanyl seized, down by 30% between fiscal years 2026 and 2025.

He said migrant crossings also fell dramatically, dropping 96% from fiscal 2024 to the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. 

Roque Caza, director of field operations for the Tucson office, which oversees ports of entry, said officers confiscated more than 15,000 pounds of fentanyl, methamphetamines, heroin and cocaine in 2025. 

But this year, even as the number of fentanyl seizures at entry ports has increased by 10% compared with last year, the amount in each payload has continued to diminish, he said.  

Last year, Arizona ports accounted for 30% of fentanyl seizures nationwide, Caza said.

“We're seeing it in smaller quantities, deeper concealment, predominantly through passenger vehicles as it applies to the land ports of entry,” he said. 

While the Tucson Sector saw a drop in fentanyl and methamphetamine, Caza said the agency reported an increase in cocaine seizures.

“The overall amount of fentanyl specifically has dropped,” he said. “Methamphetamine is lower this year as well, but cocaine, for example, is up. We've seen more cocaine in Arizona this year than previous years.”

An Office of Inspector General report released in August said  Homeland Security Investigations’ technologies and information hindered active fentanyl investigations. It concluded that as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement priorities shifted toward immigration enforcement, fentanyl investigations dropped by 24% from 2024 to 2025.

Cristinzio said the Tucson Sector isn’t encountering fentanyl as often as before.

“We're not seeing it at checkpoints,” he said. “We're not seeing it that much backpacked out in the desert. We're just not seeing it.”

 Caza said the sector will continue to focus efforts on confiscating drugs.  

“None of us are satisfied,” Caza said. “If one ounce of fentanyl gets through, we need to do more work. We have more work to do collectively, not just on our border, but in the country as a whole.”

He said they also seized more than 250,000 rounds of ammunition in 2025, and that cooperation with the Mexican government is necessary to make sure firearms don't reach cartels.

“We have excellent communication processes in place with Mexican authorities, not only with our customs counterparts in Mexico, but also the military elements and the federal police as well,” Caza said.

Ports of entry were also noted by Caza, who addressed new technologies that the Office of Field Operations will be using soon.

The Tucson Sector is anticipating using new technology for vehicle inspection, which Caza said should be available for testing within the next 30 days in the Nogales and San Luis ports. It is already implementing devices like less intrusive inspection systems using X-ray.

Caza also said the sector will ensure that those who cross the border regularly, such as agricultural workers, will be able to do so in the coming busy season but cautioned that funding to hire more personnel goes through Congress and the president. 

“There are obviously staffing contingencies, but first and foremost is enforcement,” he said. “For my teams in San Luis, I need to make sure … that they are treating their enforcement responsibilities much like this conversation today, as it applies to counter-drug cartel efforts.”

Still, he said the sector plans to add staff to make sure heavy traffic doesn't hinder workers who cross for labor.

“That's a very important population that we know historically crossed through San Luis as well as other ports of entry in Arizona during the agriculture season,” he said.

As border encounters dropped in the past two fiscal years, rescues also went down. But Greg Tolley, deputy director of the Tucson Air and Marine Operations, said it “remains a huge part of our mission.”

“The desert is unforgiving,” Tolley said. “Crossing the border is still very dangerous.”

The federal government recently denied permits to Humane Borders, a nonprofit focused on providing humanitarian aid to migrants crossing the border, for areas where they originally placed water stations, affecting about 30% of their stations.

Cristinzio said their headquarters has not had discussions about replacing this aid, but they “have teams out there to help you.”

“It's a law enforcement mission, but more often than not, it turns into a humanitarian rescue mission,” he said. “That remains a priority for us to be available to rescue those in need and to provide that aid.”

Cristinzio said federal agencies limiting access to land for humanitarian aid is “not a CBP function,” but he can’t argue with concerns about the safety of individuals who may need access to water stations.

“Any aid that is provided to anybody that's in distress anywhere is an absolute must,” he said.

This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.