Hundreds of migrants in Reynosa, Mexico, near the U.S. border, are anxiously awaiting an opportunity to cross into the United States as President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inauguration approaches. Approximately 850 migrants reside at the Senda de Vida shelter in the town bordering McAllen, Texas. Many have been using the CBP One app to schedule entry appointments.
With months of waiting behind them, the migrants want to claim asylum in the U.S. However, Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris signals a likely tightening of border policies. Trump has reaffirmed his commitment to border security, appointing former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Thomas Homan as the border czar. Homan advocates for stringent deportation measures.
“If Harris had won, people would be jumping for joy and as you can see right now, they look sad, they are feeling down,” one migrant in Senda de Vida told the media.
Speaking at the Republican National Convention earlier this year, Homan was unequivocal: “I got a message to the millions of illegal aliens that Joe Biden has released into our country in violation of federal law: You better start packing now.”
Illegal border crossings have increased under the Biden-Harris government, with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) numbers indicating nearly three million instances in fiscal year 2024 alone.
