Amidst the recent U.S. presidential election results, migrant families waiting along the Mexican border face a new wave of uncertainty, fearing their hopes of entering the United States may be dashed under President-elect Donald Trump’s anticipated policies.
Ivan Castro Santos, along with his wife and four children, including one-year-old triplets, have been living in a cramped shelter room in Nogales, Mexico, for four months. Like countless others from across Latin America, the Castro family fled violence and instability in search of safety and opportunity in the U.S. Santos, 22, explained their decision to leave Guerrero, Mexico, saying, “To protect them,” in reference to his children.
Currently, tens of thousands of migrants in Mexico wait for a chance to enter the United States, many utilizing an app-based scheduling system called CBP One, established by the Biden administration to allow appointments for processing by U.S. border officials. However, as Trump prepares to assume office, many fear he will dismantle this system or impose harsher immigration restrictions, putting their futures in jeopardy.
The Castro family worries that Trump’s return could lead to the cancellation of CBP One appointments. “We don’t want to run that risk of going back and putting them at risk,” Santos explained, envisioning a future in Houston, Texas, where his sister resides. His plan includes finding work in the food industry to support his family.
Trump’s campaign centered heavily on a crackdown on illegal immigration, proposing stricter asylum rules and reversing Biden’s border policies, including the CBP One system. His platform has resonated with a significant portion of the U.S. electorate, especially those near the southern border.
Anna Parada, a lifelong resident of Nogales, Arizona, supported Trump, citing his immigration stance as the “main” reason for her vote. She described Biden’s approach as “too lax on immigration” and anticipates a “difference again” with Trump in office.
On the Mexican side, Trump’s election win has sparked a starkly different response. Migrants like Luz Angela, a Bolivian doctor, fear Trump will fulfill his promises to curb immigration and dismantle the CBP One app. Angela, who fled Bolivia with her 9-year-old son due to political persecution, expressed fear for her future, saying, “I felt scared because he promised in his speeches that they would deport all the migrants.”
After nearly seven months in Nogales, Angela has devoted her skills to volunteering at a migrant shelter while she and her son wait for their appointment with U.S. border officials. “What we’re looking for is an opportunity to improve our lives but also perhaps improve the health care system over there,” she said, describing her desire to help underserved communities in the U.S.
U.S. officials worry that Trump’s election could trigger an increase in unauthorized border crossings, reversing the recent decline in illegal migration achieved through stricter policies by both the U.S. and Mexican governments. Experts anticipate that more migrants may attempt the journey unlawfully before Trump’s inauguration on January 20, raising concerns about the dangers migrants face along the arduous Arizona desert route.
Alba Jaramillo, a Tucson-based immigration lawyer and co-executive director of the Immigration Law and Justice Network, warned that eliminating CBP One could lead desperate migrants to cross the border illegally. “They’re desperate,” Jaramillo said. “I mean they have given up everything to come to the north.”
As Trump’s immigration policies loom, thousands of migrants like Castro Santos and Angela remain in limbo, facing a critical juncture that may shape their lives for years to come.
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