According to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the United States repatriated 5,282 migrants to Mexico during the first seven days following President Donald Trump’s inauguration. During a Thursday morning press briefing, Sheinbaum told reporters that less than 4,500 returnees were Mexican nationals.
Sheinbaum, the country’s first female president, spoke to reporters from Mexico’s National Palace about several immigration issues. She provided statistics regarding repatriations to Mexico during the first week after President Trump took office. According to Sheinbaum, nearly 500 migrants were repatriated to Mexico on January 28; however, she did not provide the number of migrants not of Mexican origin. In total, almost 6,000 migrants were returned over eight days post-inauguration.
The return of nationals outside of Mexico into her country marks the first time since the Biden administration ended the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” program. As reported by Breitbart Texas, Border Patrol agents along the southwest border began repatriating migrants from other than Mexican countries almost immediately after President Trump took office.
Sheinbaum did not specify the nationality of the repatriated migrants who were not citizens of her country. In many cases, the repatriated migrants would have been allowed to pursue asylum claims under the Biden-Harris administration. However, other immigration enforcement measures have caused migrant crossings across the southwest border to plummet.
In the Del Rio Border Patrol Sector, once one of the busiest regions for illegal border crossings in Texas, migrant apprehensions dropped by nearly 40 percent in the first full week of the Trump presidency. According to the Border Patrol, the number of suspected get-aways in the Del Rio Sector also plummeted, dropping by more than 60 percent, from 229 to 82, during the post-inauguration week.
Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks announced a 55 percent drop in border apprehensions during the first week after the inauguration compared with the previous week. Migrant apprehensions dropped to less than 5,000 during the week compared to more than 10,000 the week before the inauguration.
A Customs and Border Protection source told Breitbart Texas the reductions in crossings are also being impacted by the mass deportation operations happening across the country. “Right now, those thinking about entering the United States illegally are rethinking their options. It doesn’t make sense to invest the effort to try and elude arrest when you will likely face arrest miles from the border. There’s no free zone anymore,” the source emphasized.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
