Mexican cartels target migrants with AI images of Trump saying border is open

Published October 17, 2025 11:01am ET



Mexican cartels are posting doctored images of President Donald Trump online that falsely claim his administration has reopened the southern border, as part of a criminal effort to convince migrants to pay them to get smuggled into the United States, according to the U.S. Border Patrol.

Since Trump took office and brought illegal border crossings to the lowest levels in more than 50 years, the large majority of migrants seeking to get smuggled into the U.S. have given up.

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