President Joe Biden just got the best of both worlds when it comes to his virtual open-border and lax immigration enforcement policies and from an unlikely source.
Under the leadership of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, there has been an unparalleled increase in the apprehension of migrants in the 2024 calendar year, resulting in a subsequent reduction in migrant encounters by U.S. federal immigration officials. This decrease in migration has alleviated significant pressure for Biden, who has struggled with low approval ratings on immigration issues. However, it remains uncertain if the commitment of Mexican leaders to intensify efforts against illegal immigration will persist following the U.S. election, the Daily Caller reported.
In short, AMLO, as he is known, is enabling Biden to claim lower numbers of illegal border crossings without actually having to implement a single border enforcement policy himself, thanks to an equally left-wing leader to the south.
According to the latest data from Customs and Border Protection, just under 180,000 migrant encounters occurred at the U.S.-Mexico border in April, a slight decrease from the previous month and the lowest April encounter rate since 2021. The numbers for May are anticipated to be released in the coming days. The decrease in the number of migrants observed by American immigration authorities has largely coincided with a significant increase in immigration enforcement by their Mexican counterparts.
For the fourth consecutive month, Mexico’s Migration Policy Unit encountered approximately 120,000 migrants, according to data from the Washington Office on Latin America, a nonpartisan research and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. Just a year ago, Mexican authorities had never reported apprehending or encountering more than 52,201 migrants in any single month. The number of migrants stopped or encountered in Mexico between January and April, approximately 481,000, shows a 231% increase compared to the same period last year.
The support from López Obrador’s government is noteworthy as Biden faces a challenging reelection campaign. Polls indicate that the crisis at the southern border is negatively impacting Biden’s public perception. Recent surveys highlight that illegal immigration has become a major concern for Americans, with many voters believing that former President Donald Trump would manage the issue more effectively than the current administration.
The crisis of illegal immigration has shifted American sentiment towards more stringent policies. Recent polls indicate a growing support among voters for enforcement tactics previously championed by former President Donald Trump. The measures include mass deportations, constructing a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, establishing detention camps for illegal immigrants awaiting removal, and deploying military troops to assist in deportation efforts.
President Trump previously leveraged the threat of severe tariffs against Mexico to compel its government to adopt “strong measures” against the flow of Central American migrants traversing their country, in response to his demands for enhanced border security.
Trump established the Migrant Protection Protocols, commonly known as the Remain in Mexico policy, which required many asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while awaiting their U.S. immigration court proceedings. However, upon taking office, Biden discontinued all of Trump’s policies by signing a series of executive orders that largely dismantled them.
