The Biden administration is making contingency plans for a possible increase in border crossings ahead of Trump’s presidency as more potential immigrants say they are concerned that President-elect Donald Trump will close the border, according to two US officials and immigrant exchanges on WhatsApp groups.
On Monday afternoon, nearly 36 hours before Trump declared victory, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas held a virtual meeting with his top advisers and the heads of Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in which participants expressed concerns about what a possible victory for Trump could be. would do for border security.
The questions posed to the group were not unusual, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the call: How was the Department of Homeland Security operationally prepared to handle a potential spike in immigration? Was there enough bed space in the ICE detention facility to hold immigrants before they were deported? Could agencies continue to place migrants who do not qualify for asylum on a fast track to removal, or would the numbers overwhelm the system and force agents to release migrants to the United States with court dates years in the future?
The officials reiterated that DHS has not yet seen a wave of migrants heading to the United States. But the concern was raised: If Donald Trump were elected, they would predict an increase in the number of migrants trying to enter the country at the last minute, and CBP and ICE needed to be prepared.
A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection said that “migrants should not believe the lies of smugglers.”
“The fact remains: the United States continues to enforce immigration law, and migrants must use safe, lawful, and orderly routes to come to the United States,” the spokesperson added.
During the campaign, Trump promised to deport millions of undocumented immigrants if he won the election.
As news broke Tuesday evening of a decisive victory for Trump, immigrants began talking on WhatsApp, a common channel for smugglers to advertise their services to people in Central and South America looking to come to the United States. A common theme emerged across multiple users: Now is the time to come to the US.
“After January 21, he will close the borders with utmost security,” someone said on WhatsApp on Wednesday morning, referring to the day after Trump took office.
“Until January 10th there is a chance,” said another, who falsely claimed that Trump would come to power on January 10th, instead of January 20th.
“My sister is still in Mexico. I couldn’t sleep thinking about her,” another WhatsApp user worried.
“He will take power on January 21. He cannot make a decision yet,” said a messenger. Another replied: “There aren’t many [time] left. He already has the decrees in his head.”
“You have until January to get in,” someone declared.
The operator of a shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, where migrants wait before entering the U.S., said he expects smugglers known as coyotes to pressure immigrants to cross now.
“Of course the coyotes will arrive, they will say they have to get in before Donald Trump arrives,” said Gustavo Banda, operator of Templo Embajadores de Jesus, which currently houses about 1,400 migrants.
Banda said there is a sense of uncertainty among the migrants in his shelter, but he tries to keep them calm. “No one knows what will happen,” Banda said. “That’s why you need to talk to them, that absolutely nothing changes at this point.”
In another part of Mexico, near the U.S. border, Francisco Loureiro, a shelter operator in Nogales, said he spoke with migrants yesterday about the election results and their concerns.
“We have migrants who are worried, who don’t know what will happen to them next [CBP ONE] appointment,” said Loureiro, who runs the San Juan Bosco shelter in the city, referring to the app that allows migrants to seek asylum without entering the US.
The shelter operator said he is aware of a recent caravan of migrants who have left the Mexican state of Chiapas, an area along the border with Guatemala, and made their way to the northern part of Mexico. And while these types of caravans are nothing new, he said, he’s ready for more migrants to potentially move into the Nogales area before Trump takes office.
“Fortunately, I am prepared to receive more people, of course within our capabilities, but yes, we are prepared,” said Loureiro.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
