Crisis on the Southern Border Deepens

In December, 302,000 people crossed the southern border into the United States, with 250,000 of them doing so outside of official ports of entry – the highest number ever recorded. According to Republicans, this is a “disaster,” and they are focusing on implementing restrictions in their election campaign.

“Never before in history have there been so many illegal border crossings in a single month,” laments Mike Johnson, the newly appointed Speaker of the US House of Representatives. Johnson, along with a delegation of party colleagues, visited the border in Eagle Pass, Texas. They attribute the blame for the “border disaster” solely to the incumbent president.

Indeed, the situation at the border has noticeably worsened since Joe Biden took office. According to statistics from the border protection agency, approximately 1.9 million people attempted to migrate from Mexico to the USA in 2021. One year later, that number had increased to over 2.7 million, and by 2023, it had reached over 3.2 million.

In discussions with migrants, Rolando Salinas, the mayor of the Texan border city of Eagle Pass, learned that many of the border crossers felt invited. “We need to make it clear to them that laws apply here and that you can’t simply cross the border river illegally,” Mayor Salinas insists.

Targeted Disinformation

Terence Garrett, a political scientist at the University of Texas Rio, who researches migration policies, confirms that human smuggling organizations engage in targeted disinformation campaigns in Latin American countries, falsely claiming that the end of the restrictive Trump era has left the southern border open. “This resonates, especially when people have lost their livelihoods due to natural disasters.”

Earthquakes like the one in Haiti, destructive hurricanes, and other extreme weather events are increasing, along with political instability in many Latin American countries. At the same time, drug cartels have professionalized human smuggling, further expanding their lucrative operations.

Growing Support for the Border Wall

In response, Republicans in Congress are pushing for significant tightening measures, including a return to Trump’s border wall construction, more consistent deportations (including entire families), and stricter asylum requirements. President Biden, however, rejects these maximalist demands, stating that they are not a solution. “Setting maximal demands is not a solution,” says Biden.

“We’ll just have to wait for the presidential election and hope for Trump’s victory,” said Congressman Jim Jordan in Eagle Pass, “and thus the return of a border policy that worked.”

There seems to be an appetite for it: According to CNN polls, in 2017, only 38% of Americans considered Trump’s border wall a good idea. Today, it’s 52% – more than half of the population.