The immigration numbers from President Trump’s first full month in office are in…
According to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data, illegal border crossings and arrests have dropped roughly 44 percent in the first month following the inauguration of President Trump.
In January, 42,500 arrests were made for illegal border crossings while President Obama closed out his time in the Oval Office. One month later–he first month under the Trump administration–border crossings and arrests dropped to 23,500. The February figures are the lowest monthly totals since the start of 2012. Under the Obama administration, the flow of illegal crossings at times overwhelmed border security authorities.
In a statement on Wednesday, DHS Secretary John Kelly credited Trump’s executive orders on immigration for the declines in illegal crossings. “This trend is encouraging because it means many fewer people are putting themselves and their families at risk of exploitation, assault, and injury by human traffickers and the physical dangers of the treacherous journey north. Illegal crossings at the US southern border have seen an unprecedented decline in traffic.”
Maureen Meyer, a senior associate with the Advocacy for Human Rights in the Americas, said that “it’s too early into Trump’s term to fully understand what caused the decline in arrests.”
The recent cases of illegal immigrants involved in murders and other serious crimes have bolstered the President’s position on immigration. President Trump has repeatedly pointed to crimes committed by undocumented immigrants and embraced the families of the victims of those crimes. With these continued reports of crimes perpetrated by criminal illegal aliens, the President’s immigration policy is finding more and more support.
President Trump’s new directives allow customs agents to send some people directly back to Mexico, whether they’re Mexican or not. Under the Trump administration, illegal immigrants, regardless of the country of origin, are being deported back to the country from where they illegally entered the US.
The Obama administration allowed people from Mexico and Canada to be deported directly back their countries of origin. Illegal aliens from all other countries, such as from Central America, had to be detained until they could be flown back to their country of origin. Under the Trump administration, that policy, as well as Obama’s catch and release policies, have been ended.
Jon Harris is an OpsLens contributor and former Army NCO, civilian law enforcement officer, and defense contractor with over 30 years in the law enforcement community. He holds a B.S. in Government and Politics and an M.S. in Criminal Justice.
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