Illegal crossings at US-Mexico border plunge amid Trump’s immigration crackdown

WASHINGTON: In February last year, more than 130,000 people encountered border patrol as they tried to cross illegally into the United States from Mexico.

This February, that number was down drastically to around 8,300 – almost a 94 per cent drop, according to the US Department of Defense. 

Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks credited the near record low figures to US President Donald Trump, who seems to be making good on one of his key campaign pledges – to secure America’s borders. 

Since his return to the White House two months ago, he has put forth a slew of executive actions to curb illegal immigration.

They include suspending the US asylum system, ramping up deportation efforts, and deploying additional troops to the southern border. 

He also got Mexico to mobilise soldiers to guard the fence snaking along the border as part of an agreement to delay crippling US tariffs on Mexican imports. 

Observers said the Trump administration's government-wide crackdown has sent a strong warning to those thinking about crossing the American border without permission that they will most likely be deported. 

DEPORTATIONS

Since Trump’s deportation campaign began, footage of flights filled with shackled migrants have been splashed across news media.

One of the most high-profile cases was the more than 250 alleged Venezuelan gang members who were flown to a prison in El Salvador after Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act.

The centuries-old law grants the president sweeping powers to detain and deport citizens of an enemy nation during war time without following the usual processes. 

Trump has argued “this is a time of war”, insisting that those deported were violent criminals that included murderers and drug dealers.

The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging that assertion in the courts, condemning the administration’s actions as “lawless”.

"We're on very dangerous ground here,” said Lee Gelernt, a lawyer with the nonprofit, which provides legal representation.

“If the administration is allowed to use wartime authorities any time it wants to remove people, I think we are going to see more and more people being subjected to the Alien Enemies Act and a blurring of wartime authority with domestic authority.” 

However, advocates are struggling to contain Trump’s legal defiance, with the president having called for the impeachment of the judge who ruled against his deportation plans. 

ARE TRUMP’S MEASURES WORKING?

Analysts said although Trump’s immigration policies may be under legal scrutiny, they appear to be working.

“At this point, I see it as a very effective strategy. We may question the morality of it, and the humanitarian aspects of it. We may even say that it's a very cruel strategy,” said Tony Payan, director of the Baker Institute’s Center for the US and Mexico.

“But at the end of the day, I think Mexico and the US have worked in lockstep and sealed the border.”

He added that, however, it was not all completely due to Trump’s efforts, as policies that previous President Joe Biden put in place over the past two years contributed to the decline in unlawful entries.

“I wouldn't say that Trump gets all the credit. The numbers were already going down (during Biden’s presidency). Obviously, Trump's intimidating approach to it has further brought the numbers down,” he said.

GROWING CONCERNS

There is growing concerns that tough immigration policies are expanding even further to include those who already have a legal right to be in the country.

There have been numerous reports of immigrants with the legal right to be in the US being arrested or detained. 

This includes pro-Palestinian protesters like green card-holder Mahmoud Khalil, who the Trump administration is trying to deport. 

The State Department has warned that visa holders are continuously monitored to ensure compliance with US laws.

The Trump administration has also said it will revoke the temporary legal status of more than half a million migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela next month.