Donald Trump’s Tuesday presidential victory against Vice President Kamala Harris is already having a positive impact on illegal immigration, even months before his official inauguration.
In October, Blaze News reported that thousands of foreign nationals were making their way through Mexico, hoping to cross into the United States before an administration change.
‘They’re already self-pre-deporting. WE ARE SO BACK!!!’
At the time, Luis Garcia Villagran, director of the Tapachula-based Center for Human Dignity, told a local news outlet, “As we speak, 40,000 to 45,000 migrants, 30% from the Middle East and Africa, are stuck and trying to leave for the United States before the end of the year.”
On Thursday, Reuters reported that a 3,000-strong caravan headed toward the U.S.-Mexico border had shrunk by nearly half after Trump clinched the presidency.
Trump has vowed to make curbing illegal immigration one of his highest priorities, pledging mass deportation efforts.
According to Reuters, after hearing about Trump’s victory, many of those in the caravan “felt less hopeful about their chance at a new life in the United States.”
Valerie Andrade, a Venezuelan national, told the news outlet, “I had hoped [Kamala Harris] would win, but that didn’t happen.”
Others who remained in the caravan stated that they hope the Biden-Harris administration’s CBP One app will allow them to book an asylum appointment at the border before Trump is inaugurated.
During a Monday rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, Trump sent a message to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
“I’m going to inform [Mexico’s president] on day one or sooner that if they don’t stop this onslaught of criminals and drugs coming into our country, I’m going to immediately impose a 25% tariff on everything they send into the United States of America,” Trump told his supporters.
“If that doesn’t work,” he continued, “I’ll make it 50%; if that doesn’t work, I’ll make it 75%. Then I’ll make it 100%.”
Real America’s Voice correspondent Oscar Ramirez noted that since Trump’s win, the Mexican government has taken a more proactive role in deterring migrants from heading to the U.S. border. He added that he still anticipates there will be an increase in illegal immigration in the final months of Joe Biden’s presidency as foreign nationals try to enter before Trump gets into office.
Donald Trump Jr. reacted to the news that the massive caravan had dropped to roughly 1,600 individuals.
“They’re already self-pre-deporting. WE ARE SO BACK!!!” he wrote on X.
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