Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is stepping in to help President Joe Biden secure the 2024 election. According to reports, Lopez Obrador has ramped up efforts to apprehend illegal immigrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.
Data from Customs and Border Protection show a significant drop in illegal alien crossings for the first time since 2021, with fewer than 180,000 immigrant encounters at the southern border in April. This decrease is attributed to Mexico’s increased enforcement, with the Migration Policy Unit apprehending roughly 120,000 illegal immigrants for four consecutive months. In stark contrast, data from the Washington Office on Latin America reveal that Mexican officials previously never reported encountering more than 52,201 illegal immigrants in a single month.
This crackdown comes as polls indicate that illegal immigration is a top concern for voters ahead of the November 2024 election. Many illegal immigrants are rushing to cross the U.S.-Mexico border before election day, fearing that if former President Donald Trump is re-elected, he will reinstate his stringent immigration policies.
President Lopez Obrador’s unprecedented level of migrant apprehensions in 2024 has led to a decrease in migrant encounters for U.S. federal immigration authorities. This reduction in migrant flow has alleviated a significant issue for Biden, who has faced poor polling on the migration issue. However, questions remain about whether Mexican leaders will continue to enforce these crackdowns after the U.S. election. The 481,000 migrants Mexico reportedly stopped or encountered between January and April represent a 231% increase over the same period last year, according to The Daily Caller.
Biden’s initial executive orders upon taking office dismantled Trump’s immigration policies, resulting in a surge of more than 17 million illegal aliens entering the United States. The recent cooperation from Mexico is a strategic move to address the migration crisis and bolster Biden’s position as he heads into a contentious election season.
