The 56% drop in illegal border crossings since a peak in May is being credited in large part to efforts in Central America, especially Mexico, to team up with the Trump administration to curb the flow of migrants.
“That international effort is making an impact. Mexican operational interdiction is certainly highlight of that effort, but the shared responsibility we’re seeing in the region, governments stepping up and saying we also own this,” said Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan in a small briefing for reporters.
McAleenan, who has led the diplomatic effort to win the help of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and even Panama, said that new leaders in those countries have like-minded agenda to curb immigration into their countries and migration out.
“This is a different set of leaders taking a different approach in response to the administration’s diplomatic efforts as well as their domestic political environments,” said the administration’s top immigration official.
Another key Trump aide added, “What we’re seeing right now not just with the government of Mexico but also the Northern Triangle countries is a shift in mindset too, that I think is critically important, is that they really are coming together as true partners and they are really seeing this as a regional crisis. It’s no longer being seen as a U.S.-only crisis.”
The official, clearly pleased with the drop of illegal apprehensions to 64,006 in August from a high of 144,266 in May, said the fight continues, however. “We are still not out of the woods now. We are still not out of the crisis,” said the official.
With the help of Central American nations, newly rebuilt border wall sections and messages sent back home by migrants unable to get into the United States, the three months of decreasing numbers are a positive trend.
But, officials said, the president wants more cuts.
Asked if Trump was satisfied with the new reductions, one officials said, “No. We want to get back to historic lows I think the spring of his first year in office, the ‘Trump Effect’ we call it.”
The official added, “The president expects these numbers to go down.”
Officials describe the “Trump Effect” as the post election pause in crossings due to threats made by the president. In May of 2017, there were 19,940 border apprehensions, a number the administration is shooting for.
They noted that this year’s drop in crossings came after Trump threatened new tariffs on Mexico. Since then, Mexico has sent 25,000 troops to their borders, stopped illegal human traffickers and turned away migrants at its southern border.
Still, said Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan, “We need them to do more.”
The administration has also worked with Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala to set up asylum systems so that migrants can go there instead of the U.S. Courts have challenged the administration’s efforts and on Monday a judge in California sidelined Trump’s asylum effort.
