A number of large groups of illegal immigrants have been caught at the southern border in recent days, as the number of migrant encounters remains lower than in previous months, but fears persist of a border surge before the Trump administration takes office.
On Sunday, the Texas Department of Public Safety encountered a group of 154 illegal immigrants in Eagle Pass, Texas. The group included six special interest immigrants from Afghanistan and 20 unaccompanied minors.
They were turned over to Border Patrol, Texas authorities said.
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This photo shows migrants at the southern border encountered in Arizona. (Chief Patrol Agent Sean McGoffin- Tucson Sector)
In Arizona, Border Patrol encountered a group of more than 230 illegal immigrants near San Miguel, Arizona. Border Patrol said on Monday the group was “safely transported for processing.”
Numbers have been dropping sharply at the border since June, when President Biden signed a presidential proclamation drastically limiting the number of arrivals who can come into the U.S.
In September, there were 101,790 encounters at the border, the lowest number since February 2021, and there have been no major signs of a significant increase in numbers since then.
However, while numbers remain lower than in previous months, there have been concerns that the change in administrations may lead to a surge at the border as migrants attempt to enter the U.S. before a perceived tougher administration enters office. Large, cartel-coordinated groups may be a sign of that activity beginning to heat up.
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Then-President Trump visits the U.S.-Mexico border fence in Otay Mesa, California, on Sept. 18, 2019. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
The Biden administration reportedly held a meeting in which officials raised concerns about what a former President Donald Trump victory may mean for the border.
According to the NBC News report, officials asked if the government were prepared for a possible spike in immigration, with immigrants preparing to enter the country at the last minute.
Migrants would unlikely be motivated by the prospect of a Trump administration, when there have been promises of historic deportations and a crackdown on sanctuary cities, but would instead be motivated by an effort to take advantage of what may be lighter border security than what they believe will be in place under the Republican administration.
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The Trump administration has pledged to ramp up border security and to launch a mass deportation operation when it gets into office in January. It has also pledged to end the use of parole programs by the Biden administration that allow migrants to enter in via the expanded “lawful pathways.”
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The administration is already planning to expand immigration detention in order to facilitate the operation, including setting up centers near major metropolitan areas.