California’s formerly overrun border with Mexico is now virtually empty just months after Donald Trump’s election, images show.
Aid workers have begun packing up after weeks without seeing any migrants, SF Gate reports.
‘To say there has been a dramatic change would be an understatement,’ Jeffrey Stalnaker, acting chief patrol agent of the San Diego sector, said.
Not long ago, the stretch along southern California was dealing with a record number crossings.
December 2024 saw a record 301,981 people caught crossing the border illegally.
Throughout Biden’s term in office, the number of migrants apprehended while crossing unlawfully remained significantly high, exceeding 200,000 each month. Despite this, he maintained that there were no actions he could take to address the situation.
In contrast, during the initial month of Trump’s presidency, the quantity of unauthorized migrants intercepted drastically dropped to a mere 11,709 individuals. This stark contrast exposed the falsehood in Biden’s statements that he was constrained in dealing with the issue.
The abrupt increase in illegal border crossings was largely attributed to Former President Biden’s choice to overturn a policy implemented during the pandemic that had barred asylum seekers and facilitated their immediate deportation to Mexico.
President Trump vowed to tackle the border crisis if elected and has since enacted several measures which have seen daily arrests fall from their high of 1,200 to just 30.
Among them was deploying 750 US troops to reinforce six miles of the border wall with concertina wire.
Adriana Jasso, a human rights lawyer who works for the American Friends Service Committee, said the last time she saw any migrants in the notorious ‘Whiskey 8’ area near San Diego was February 15.
California ‘s formerly hectic border with Mexico is now virtually empty just months after Donald Trump ‘s election. The above image shows part of the wall separating San Diego and Mexico on March 21
Another shot from October 2023 showed migrants lining up to be processed at the border, with former President Biden presiding over a historic crisis blamed for ruining Kamala Harris’ election hopes
A huge concertina metal fence has been erected along the southern border as a deterrent which appears to be working
Previously Whiskey 8 has been chocked full of migrants who had scaled the fence out of Mexico and were waiting along the stretch for processing by CBP.
Jasso and her colleagues are used to handing out water, food and aid to the migrants but said there is less call for their services these days.
After a storm destroyed some of the canopy shelters where Jasso and her team were based, they decided to dismantle the whole operation.
Jacumba resident Sam Schultz, a retired aid worker, felt compelled to go and support the humanitarian efforts at the border.
But lately, water bottles he puts out for migrants has gone untouched.
Recently, his son travelled out to Highway 80 to gather up unused tents.
Stalnaker told SF Gate the addition of concertina wire has drastically reduced the number of illegal entries, which has seen arrests plummet by 70 percent so far this fiscal year compared to last.
He added that federal prosecutors in San Diego are dealing with more than 1,000 border-related criminal cases so far this fiscal year.
Not long ago, the stretch along southern California was dealing with a record number crossings
The president vowed to tackle the border crisis as part of his campaign platform
A Customs and Border Patrol graphic showing how migrant interceptions surged as high as 301,000-a-month during Biden’s tenure. During Trump’s first month in office, just 11,000 migrants were caught crossing the border
Mexico is also stepping up its border efforts after the president threatened to impost crippling tariffs.
Mexican officials vowed to send 10,000 national guard troops north who now meet with US agents a few times per week, according to Stalnaker.
Almost immediately upon assuming office, Trump canceled appointments for those who were in Tijuana awaiting meetings with Customs and Border Protection and also removed a phone app which scheduled them.
Illegal border crossings at the southern border fell to the lowest levels since 2000 last month.
But experts warned that without legal ways to claim asylum, migrants are more likely to place themselves at increased risk to enter the US.
Earlier this month, three people died in the Otay Mountains due to harsh terrain and cold weather after trying to cross the border near San Diego.
The two men and a woman were found by CBP agents after they put out a distress call.
