Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador appears to be aiding President Joe Biden in his bid to secure the 2024 election by stepping up efforts to control illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Recent reports indicate that Lopez Obrador has significantly increased the number of apprehensions of illegal immigrants attempting to cross the border. According to data from Customs and Border Protection, there has been a notable decrease in illegal crossings for the first time since 2021, with fewer than 180,000 encounters at the southern border in April.
For the past four months, Mexico’s Migration Policy Unit has apprehended approximately 120,000 illegal immigrants each month. In stark contrast, the Washington Office on Latin America reported that Mexican officials had never before encountered more than 52,201 illegal immigrants in a single month.
This increased enforcement comes at a critical time, as polls show that illegal immigration is a top concern for voters ahead of the upcoming election. Many illegal immigrants have been rushing to cross the border before November 5, fearing that former President Donald Trump will reinstate his strict immigration policies if re-elected.
President Lopez Obrador’s unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration in 2024 has led to a significant decrease in migrant encounters for U.S. federal immigration authorities, easing a major issue for Biden, who has faced criticism over his handling of immigration. However, there are questions about whether Mexican leaders will continue to crack down on illegal immigration after the U.S. election. The approximately 481,000 migrants Mexico stopped or encountered between January and April represent a 231% increase over the same period last year, according to The Daily Caller.
It’s worth noting that Biden signed several executive orders on his first day in office that reversed many of Trump’s immigration policies, leading to an influx of over 17 million illegal aliens entering the United States. This surge has been a contentious issue and a significant point of criticism against the current administration. As the election approaches, the impact of Mexico’s increased enforcement on Biden’s re-election prospects remains to be seen.
