Stuck in traffic on a hot afternoon while waiting to re-enter Arizona from a meeting in Mexico, Nogales Mayor Jorge Maldonado’s primary request for the incoming administration was painfully pertinent: an increase in Customs and Border Protection personnel.
“We have individuals trying to cross the border that face wait times of two or three hours,” Maldonado stated. “These are the legal crossers… and we are failing to serve them.”
This emphasis may seem unexpected, considering that video footage of individuals sneaking through gaps in fences, navigating chest-deep rivers, and arriving on beaches has been the focus of reports on the U.S. border situation.
Traffic is backed up in Nogales, Arizona, with vehicles waiting to cross into Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, on Oct. 8, 2022. The ongoing migration crisis at the southern border has put strain on Customs and Border Protection, affecting even legal crossings between the U.S. and Mexico, as per Nogales mayor. (Max Herman/AFP via Getty Images)
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However, despite being in Arizona’s Tucson sector, which saw a spike in migrant encounters earlier this year, Maldonado noted that Nogales hasn’t witnessed the same dramatic surge in border crossings as other locations.
What they do experience is a consistent flow of American and Mexican citizens attempting to cross the border legally for employment, education, recreation, and trade.
“These are individuals who come into our nation and spend their money,” Maldonado stated. “We have lost sight of legal crossings because we have focused so heavily on illegal crossings.”
Each border section has distinct circumstances and requirements, according to Maldonado. This is why he and other mayors emphasize the importance of the next presidential administration visiting the southern border.
“People in Washington are creating policies from a thousand, 2,000 miles away,” said Dr. Victor Treviño, the mayor of Laredo, Texas. “We are at the frontline… and if they come here to listen to us, that could be helpful.”
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During the Trump presidency, Mayor Douglas Nicholls mentioned he was invited to the Oval Office to address a surge in border crossings near Yuma and left with additional resources. Soon thereafter, Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy was enacted, which Nicholls claimed significantly reduced illegal entries.
In contrast, Nicholls stated that requests for policy modifications “haven’t received any attention” from Biden or Harris, even though the vice president was assigned to tackle the root causes of migration from Central America.
“The title of ‘border czar’… has turned into more of a political burden since little has been accomplished,” Nicholls remarked when asked about the White House’s distancing from Harris regarding this role.
Under the Biden administration, levels of illegal immigration reached unprecedented highs. During Trump’s time in office, annual migrant encounters varied from approximately 303,916 to 851,508, whereas they skyrocketed to 1,734,686 during Biden’s initial year in office.
Border encounters continued to escalate, reaching 2.5 million in 2023 and 1.8 million with three months left in fiscal year 2024.
Migrants pass through an opening in the U.S.-Mexico border fence on Dec. 18, 2023, in Jacumba Hot Springs, California. (Mark Abramson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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However, the three border mayors noted a notable reduction in illegal crossings recently.
“Currently, we are not observing a significant number of migrants crossing,” Treviño commented from Laredo.
He attributed much of this decline to the Biden administration’s new border policies, which were put in place in June.
These measures limit asylum eligibility and facilitate the removal of individuals who crossed the border unlawfully. That month, encounters at the southern border reached their lowest figure since Biden assumed office, based on data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Republicans criticized the initiative as a “political stunt” and a “cheap” tactic to gain favor just months before the election. In turn, Biden blamed congressional Republicans for obstructing bipartisan border legislation earlier in the year.
“The frustration lies in the fact that at this late stage, the president introduced an executive order that aligns with our needs, but it’s really years—literally—overdue,” Nicholls expressed.
He hopes the next president will collaborate with nations like Mexico to create “incentives for them to partake in the solution rather than just act as a transit country.”
Vice President Kamala Harris interacts with migrants at the southern border. (Getty Images)
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“The future administration needs a fundamental policy change addressing the core issues of our immigration system,” Nicholls asserted, noting that it “would be beneficial” for Congress to act on border matters, although he is skeptical regarding the timing.
He also suggested increased funding for federal agencies like ICE, and for local communities grappling with overwhelmed emergency services due to the migrant influx.
“The strain on communities and nonprofits, while currently funded, is not a sustainable solution,” he cautioned. “We need to reach a point where the numbers render these programs unnecessary.”
Ramiro Vargas contributed to the accompanying video.
