Why Trump faces greater challenge getting border in order this time around

Published January 13, 2025 7:00am ET



President-elect Donald Trump will face a bigger challenge getting control of the U.S.-Mexico border come his second term than he did at the start of his first term, when he also took office after successfully running on a promise to clamp down on illegal immigration.

Trump took office in January 2017 following the Obama administration’s two terms. In former President Barack Obama’s final full month in office, more than 58,000 people were encountered by federal law enforcement at the southern border, including those who illegally entered between ports of entry.

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