During a hot afternoon, as Arizona’s Nogales Mayor Jorge Maldonado got stuck in a tedious traffic jam returning from a Mexican event, one urgent request stood out in his mind – the need for more staffing at Customs and Border Protection units. Maldonado voiced his concern about the escalating waiting times at the border, spanning two to three hours, lamenting the disregard for legal crossers’ plight.
Contrarily, the broader narrative of the border crisis in the U.S. appears to be focused on unauthorized infiltrations, with rampant videos showing breaches in fences and covert crossings via rivers and seashores. However, according to Maldonado, despite Nogales being seated within the Tucson sector in Arizona, an area that observed a recent surge in migrant confrontations, his city didn’t witness a comparable influx.
Nevertheless, Nogales does experience a consistent flow of American and Mexican civilians, crossing the border legally for employment, academic activities, leisure, and trade transactions. For Maldonado, these individuals leave substantial economic contributions in their wake during their lawful visits. He expressed concern that focus on legal crossers has been overshadowed by undue attention to those crossing illegally.
Maldonado emphasized the divergence in border-related inquiries among different sections, indicating the necessity for geographical specificity in tackling the issue. This pressing issue is why Maldonado, along with other regional mayors, encourages the succeeding presidential cabinet to pay close attention to the realities of the southern border.
Dr. Victor Treviño, Laredo’s Mayor in Texas, also noted the geographical disconnect between decision-making bodies in Washington and the border areas dealing with immediate issues first-hand. He insisted that officials visiting these front-line regions could gain valuable ground-level insights that would enhance their policymaking effectiveness.
During Trump’s presidency, Douglas Nicholls, Mayor of Yuma, was extended an invitation to the Oval Office for a focused dialogue on the sudden influx of border crossings in Yuma’s vicinity. The outcome of this meeting was speculated to have been tangible aid to counter the problem. Shortly following this discussion, the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy took effect, resulting in a significant reduction in unauthorized border entries.
In contrast, under the Biden administration, Nicholls has found his policy modification appeals falling on deaf ears, with neither Biden nor Harris responding – despite the VP directly handling the underlying issues of Central American migration. Discussions around the unofficial term ‘border czar’ also arise, as it has taken on a political liability as it appears negligible action has been taken.
Biden’s term witnessed record-breaking illicit immigration levels. As per data, while migrant encounters fluctuated from about 303,916 at its lowest to around 851,508 at its peak during Trump’s time, Biden’s first year saw an explosive increase to 1,734,686. Further upsurge became apparent as the year progressed, peaking at 2.5 million in 2023 and standing at 1.8 million three quarters through fiscal year 2024.
Interestingly, despite the aforementioned figures, the border mayors mentioned have recently reported a significant decrease in unauthorized border crossings. In Laredo, for instance, Mayor Treviño confirmed a noticeable reduction in migrant crossings.
This reduction in crossings is attributed in large part to new policies introduced by Biden in June. These policies limit asylum qualifications, making it easier to deport those who crossed the border unlawfully. This revamp resulted in the southern border experiencing its lowest encounter rates since Biden’s inauguration, as noted in U.S. Customs and Border Protection records.
Partisan politics played out in response to these developments, with Republicans discrediting Biden’s policy update as a temporarily appeasing maneuver, a ‘political stunt’ devised to gain popularity right before the elections. Biden countered these criticisms, assigning blame to congressional Republicans for obstructing bipartisan border legislation initiated earlier in the year.
Mayor Nicholls expressed frustration about this last-minute executive order from the President, citing its tardiness. He felt that although it was ultimately in line with what they had been asking for, it had come ‘literally, years too late’.
Nickholls believes the forthcoming administration should work towards fostering collaborative relationships with neighbouring nations such as Mexico to incentivize their efforts in tackling the issue, rather than serving merely as a transit point. He further stressed that substantial policy amendments need to be made addressing the root causes of the immigration issue.
Nicholls also nudged the necessity for improved federal backing for outfits such as ICE, as well as local communities who often bear the brunt of the issue, with their communal services overwhelmed by immigrants. He articulated that present funding models for communities and nonprofits engaging with migrant crises are unsustainable in the long term.
He appealed for solutions that ensure the sheer volume of migrants would lessen thus making those emergency programs redundant. This illustrates a heartfelt plea from city administrators at the front lines of the immigration dispute for systemic, comprehensive immigration reforms that don’t just pass through, but settle in.