Despite unrelenting opposition from Democrats against every single move he’s made on border security and immigration policy, President Donald Trump (and the nation as a whole) has nevertheless recently begun to see the fruits of his labor on that front.
The total number of illegal aliens apprehended at the southern U.S. border has dropped dramatically in recent months after Trump reached a deal with Mexico to crack down on the migrants traversing through that country — so much so that Trump just praised the neighboring nation’s efforts by quoting a Border Patrol official who did the same, according to the Daily Caller.
Trump praises Mexico for help at border
President Trump cited the words of National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd in heralding Mexico for “stepping up to the plate” and providing a huge assist in the overall effort to reduce the number of migrants seeking illegal entry into the U.S.
“‘In 22 years of patrolling our Southern Border, I have never seen Mexico act like a true Border Security Partner until President Trump got involved, and now they are stepping up to the plate and doing what they need to do.’ Brandon Judd, National Border Patrol,” Trump tweeted.
The reference to Trump’s involvement was in regard to the deal he reached with the Mexican government in June, which appears to have paid significant dividends already.
Amid initial threats from the president to impose incrementally increasing tariffs on Mexican goods, Mexico agreed to take a harder stance against the migrant caravans and smuggling networks that transit through that country to its northern border with the U.S.
56% reduction in apprehensions since May
Fox News reported that the Mexican government is also proudly touting the success witnessed thus far as a result of the June agreement, in particular, a 56% drop in the number of border apprehensions over the three month period since the deal was reached.
Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, citing figures provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, noted that the number of individuals apprehended and detained at the border — which peaked at 146,266 in May — dropped to only 63,989 in August, a number that includes not only illegal entrants but also those who formally presented themselves at a port of entry but were denied admission.
In large part, that reduction was brought about by the efforts of the Mexican government, particularly the deployment of roughly 20,000 additional police and National Guard soldiers near the U.S. border and throughout the country, all of whom were aggressively deterring migrant caravans and breaking up smuggling networks.
Border cooperation “has been successful”
“We’re showing that the strategy that Mexico put forward has been successful,” Ebrard said. “I don’t expect a tariff threat Tuesday because it wouldn’t make sense.”
Ebrard was referencing a scheduled meeting with top U.S. officials at the White House this week for a 90-day review of the progress made to date. Part of the June deal included the possibility that, were insufficient progress to have been made over the designated time period, the tariffs previously proposed would in fact be implemented.
To be sure, historical trends typically show a dropoff in border apprehensions during the hottest of the summer months — though this reduction appears more substantial than in the past — and there is undoubtedly still plenty of work to be done. However, at least as of now, it appears that Mexico has provided a significant helping hand in getting the border situation under control and, hopefully, the unprecedented trend of cooperation will continue.