SAN JUAN, Texas (Border Report) — A clamp down by the Trump administration on the Southwest border is reflected in recent data showing the largest drop in migrants encountered in five years.
Meanwhile, border communities are “anxious,” community leaders say, about ICE arrests and patrols north of the Rio Grande.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Tuesday reported 29,116 illegal border crossings by U.S. Border Patrol along the Southwest border in January. That’s down nearly 50% from 47,316 migrant encounters in December, and down from 249,740 encounters in December 2023.
The number of migrants encounters by Border Patrol agents and CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations — which includes ports of entry — was 61,465 in January, down 44% from December.
The January data does not yet reflect a full month of Trump administration changes toward asylum and border entries since President Donald Trump didn’t take office until Jan. 20.
Nevertheless, it shows a stark difference in the number of immigrants coming to the border, or at least of those being encountered by law enforcement on U.S. soil without proper documentation.
The decrease in number of immigrants crossing from Mexico into the United States is also reflected in a visible decrease in activity in Southwest border communities, where migrants are fearful of being arrested.
In South Texas, there has been an increase in immigrants attending free “know your rights” workshops put on by the nonprofit organization La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) to learn what to do if approached by an officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Joaquin Garcia, LUPE director of community organizing, says residents are not only attending the workshops held throughout the Rio Grande Valley, but they are coming to the organization’s facilities in San Juan and Alton, Texas, for help applying for citizenship, something he says many qualify for but have never done and now are spurred to do for fear of deportations.
“It’s been a wake up call,” Garcia told Border Report on Tuesday. “There’s definitely a lot of questions about what could happen if people are, in fact, deported. Here in the Valley, we’ve heard about ICE vehicles visiting different parts of the county and colonias.”
Colonias are rural housing subdivisions on the border that often lack water and sewage and electricity. Some have thousands of residents and Garcia says residents report federal officials patrolling neighborhoods, photographing residents and cars. And he says that has scared many people who are afraid to leave their homes to take their children to school or go to work.
“They’re taking pictures of people coming out of their houses, taking pictures of people’s license plates. But you know, people have to go on with their with their life,” Garcia said.
“Obviously, we’re not happy about people living with some anxiety because of what’s happening, but we knew this was something that we needed to prepare for. And I think we’re doing the best that we can to try to provide information and tools for people to use them if they need them. And we’re going to continue doing those trainings for months to come,” he said.
In the workshops, LUPE tells residents of their constitutional right to remain silent — whether they’re a U.S. citizen or not. That they have the right to hire an attorney and they urge them to hire a lawyer now in case they get arrested. They also are encouraged to have a preparedness plan that includes signed guardianship papers for their children, as well as having cash to pay for legal fees.
Immigration lawyers tell Border Report that many migrants are being arrested for minor infractions, like driving without a license.
Texas law prevents those without documents from getting a state driver’s license. “We do tell folks to try to respect the law, respect the traffic signals and whatnot, but if for any reason you’re stopped you know you can exercise your right to remain silent,” Garcia said. “Don’t incriminate yourself.”
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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