In a report from Epoch Times on January 1, 2025, immigration officials and agents along the US-Mexico border continue to believe that the number of illegal immigrants could still surge before President-elect Donald Trump officially takes office and begins cracking down on illegal immigration.
Trump and his appointed head of border affairs, Tom Homan, have vowed to launch large-scale deportation operations on the first day of Trump’s second term in the White House. However, federal immigration officials argue that there could still be a wave of immigration in the three weeks leading up to Trump’s inauguration and the border closure.
Despite Homan’s warning not to come, several groups of migrants have already departed from Tapachula, near the Guatemala border at the southern end of Mexico, heading towards the US-Mexico border. Some have even reached Eagle Pass in Texas.
Since President Biden took office in 2021, over 8 million immigrants have crossed the southern US border, with most of them being scheduled to attend immigration hearings, which could take several years to come to.
Homan recently told sister media NewsNation that immigrants who enter the US illegally seeking asylum should not expect to live comfortably in the country. He emphasized, “They need to hear it and understand, don’t sell your property to criminal gangs to sneak into the US, because you won’t stay.”
He also stated that the Trump administration would end the previous “catch and release” federal program that allowed immigrants entering illegally to stay in the US during the asylum application process.
The incoming head of border affairs warned, “Stay in your own country, be vigilant about safety, illegal entry is very dangerous.”
Previously, Texas Department of Public Safety officials encountered two unaccompanied girls abandoned by smugglers near Eagle Pass, who had fled back to Mexico. The girls, aged 5 and 9 from El Salvador, had notes with addresses and phone numbers.
Homan hopes for the safety of migrants but told NewsNation that many ignore warnings and attempt to get their families across the border before Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
Homan also pointed out that the number of deaths among immigrants trying to enter the US has reached a record high, as has the number of Americans dying from fentanyl.
Homan attributed the surge in both death tolls to the Biden administration and its border policies.
As Homan issued the warning, Mexican government officials announced the opening of 25 immigration detention centers to comply with the US immigration policies. Once detained by US immigration officials, these migrants will be deported.
Homan stated that immigration policies would be stricter under Trump’s administration, but the safest way for migrants is to “stay in your own country.”
He said on November 24 that the new government would cut federal funding for states that refused to cooperate with the deportation of illegal immigrants, and Democratic governors need to set aside negative feelings towards Trump and work with the federal government on illegal immigration issues to protect their constituents.
On November 10, Trump appointed Tom Homan, former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as the “Border Czar” in the new government, responsible for managing “southern border, northern border, all maritime and aviation security,” and other border affairs.
Trump stated, “No one is better at maintaining and controlling our borders than him… Homan will be responsible for deporting all illegal immigrants to their home countries… He will excel in this much-anticipated task.”
In an interview with NBC News on November 7, Trump stated that one of his top priorities after taking office in January is to ensure border security.
However, he also emphasized the welcome of legal immigrants coming to the US, stating that “they (referring to the electorate) like people coming in, but they must come in legally.”
Trump believes that his stance on immigration was one of the reasons he won the election.
(Information sourced from reports by The Hill)