- President Trump is proclaiming that the southern border is now closed. He made the declaration on his platform Truth Social.
- The president has used troops to assist with immigration enforcement and used military aircraft for deportations.
- CBS News reports that the president might invoke Title 42 to keep more migrants from coming across the southern border.
Full Story
President Trump is touting his administration’s crackdown on those entering the country illegally. He posted an update on his Truth Social platform over the weekend.
What did President Trump say specifically?
He proclaimed that February had the lowest number of immigrants trying to enter the U.S. illegally in history. The president said that the immigrants were quickly ejected from the country or, when necessary, prosecuted for crimes.
In the post, the president also said, “The invasion of our country is OVER” and that “the border is CLOSED.”
Trump also posted that his predecessor, President Joe Biden, allowed hundreds of thousands of people to enter the United States per month illegally, and virtually all of them were released into the country.
CBS News is also reporting that illegal border crossings plunged to their lowest level in more than two decades, dating back to the year 2000, which is as far back as publicly available monthly data goes.
How have the number of crossings changed?
In January, Border Patrol agents at the U.S.-Mexico border recorded 29,000 apprehensions, down by 38%, from December. The drop from January to February was even larger, about 70%, to 8,450.
At the border, the Trump administration is not processing asylum-seekers, and has urged federal officials to quickly deport migrants without hearing their asylum claims. The administration has claimed that migrants and smugglers have abused the system.
What measures has the administration taken at the border?
President Trump has also deployed military troops to help with enforcement, as well as military aircraft to deport and fly migrants back to their country of origin.
What might happen next?
In addition, the Trump administration is considering implementing Title 42, which the president first enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It stipulates that immigration officials can expel migrants on the grounds that they could spread diseases, such as tuberculosis. The Biden administration allowed Title 42 to expire in 2023.
