The latest reports from the US-Mexico border indicate that there is a drop in the number of Illegal Migrants from Mexico who are trying to gain entry into the United States.
The Trump administration feels this is the result of various actions it has taken like decision to induct additional enforcement agents, deport more people and build a wall. President Donald Trump has engineered the change and the results must be attributed to the firm stand he has taken which has acted as a deterrent for people to cross over.
Present scenario at the border
New York Times reports that there are many shelters on the Mexican side of the border to accommodate illegal migrants before they finally cross over.
Observers feel that these hold fewer people now because the prospects of a better life in America appear to be a distant dream for many. Occupancy at these shelters have reported appreciable drop. In one shelter, six Central Americans finally surrendered to the Mexican authorities and requested to be sent back home while another 40 decided to return on their own.
Another pointer to the trend reversal in border crossing is visible in the Arizona desert. Here, there are blue flags planted that fly nearly 30 feet in the air and are intended to be identification for source of water. Volunteers leave drums of water here but, nowadays, these are not emptying – which means there are very few takers.
Reasons for the situation
The situation is encouraging because the drop in border crossing can be interpreted as an awakening among the people who have realized that the risks are more than the benefits. These risks are of exploitation, assault and injury from those who carry out human trafficking apart from physical hazards of undertaking the treacherous journey.
El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala are considered to be areas of Central America that are in the grip of poverty and violence and smuggling fees for illegal migrants from these regions are nearly $15,000 which is much more than the average annual income of these people.
Consequently, a situation has now come when migrants, who earlier tried to go to the United States for safety and work, are going to alternate places like Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama and even South America. They want to work and live in peace and, if America does not accept them, they will have to go elsewhere.
