US drug overdose deaths plummet 20% as Trump administration cracks down on southern border

Drug overdose deaths successful the United States fell by much than 20% past year, according to the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, amid President Donald Trump's crackdown connected the country's porous borders.

"The autumn begins astatine the extremity of the Biden administration, but the question is, was it successful anticipation of a tough-on-crime president coming in?" said Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and adjunct transgression justness prof astatine Penn State Lehigh Valley.

According to the data, which looked astatine deaths done August 2025, they were connected the emergence going into Trump's archetypal word but remained mostly flat, past they spiked and plateaued erstwhile President Joe Biden took office.

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Migrants locomotion a way moments aft crossing the Rio Grande stream from Mexico to the United States astatine the US-Mexico borderline successful Eagle Pass, Texas connected Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

While the CDC did not supply a crushed for the decline, it coincides with stronger borderline enforcement.

"Securing the borders has a batch to bash with the drop," Giacalone told Fox News Digital. "Less accidental for cause dealers and their mules to bring drugs into the country."

Data from the CDC shows US overdose deaths betwixt January 2015 and August 2025. (CDC)

Amid steep criticism, the Biden medication yet stepped up borderline enforcement adjacent the extremity of his term, and the diminution accelerated erstwhile Trump returned to office.

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Groups of migrants of antithetic nationalities get astatine the Rio Grande, to transverse it and surrender to the American authorities connected Feb. 19, 2024. (Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Other factors whitethorn see accrued availability of opioid overdose antidotes, similar Narcan, but Giacalone said helium believes that thing made a bigger interaction than "shutting down the floodgates astatine the border."

"The assemblage is inactive retired connected the effect of blowing up cause boats, but I tin ideate it moving arsenic a deterrent arsenic well," helium added. "Deterrence matters successful transgression justness policy."

The CDC noted that the information is provisional due to the fact that immoderate causes of decease are inactive nether investigation.

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Customs and Border Protection officers successful Arizona seized 65 pounds of methamphetamine and 5 pounds of fentanyl pills successful a January 14 bust, according to authorities.  (CBP)

Louisiana, Florida, Virginia, New York, Vermont, Wyoming and the District of Columbia saw drops of much than 30%.

Broken down regionally, lone 5 states did not spot a diminution successful overdose deaths.

North Dakota remained flat. Kansas and Hawaii some saw increases successful deaths of little than 2%. New Mexico roseate by astir 3.5%.

President Donald Trump has taken a bid of actions to crackdown connected fentanyl flowing successful the U.S. since his instrumentality to the Oval Office successful January 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Only Arizona saw a important summation — with fatal overdoses climbing 17.75% betwixt August 2024 and 2025.

That spike came aft authorities revealed successful 2023 that fentanyl overdoses were sidesplitting 3 radical a time successful Maricopa County.

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Authorities successful the Grand Canyon State person cracked down connected fentanyl dealers successful an effort to antagonistic the inclination there.

Maricopa prosecutors person identified fentanyl consciousness arsenic 1 of their apical initiatives and are aggressively utilizing a caller authorities instrumentality to spell aft dealers whose drugs termination people.