LUKEVILLE, Arizona — Once the busiest crossing point on the southwest border, migrant crossings in Lukeville have slowed significantly since an election-year deal was struck with Mexico in December. A once constantly busy transportation rally point used by the Border Patrol to stage migrants in the Organ Pipe National Monument now sits empty on most days. Where thousands of migrants once crossed each day, now, a few hundred migrants cross and are swiftly transported away from the border wall area.
The impacts of the Biden-AMLO border security agreement reached in December after widespread media coverage of nearly 14,000 migrants crossing into the United States daily are now being seen to the west of Texas. As migrant crossings significantly reduced in Eagle Pass and other parts of Texas, the crossings increased in Arizona and California. But, even these sectors are now showing signs of slowing as Mexico continues its crackdown on migrant travel towards the United States’ southern border.
The video above contrasts the high number of border crossers witnessed in two December 2023 visits with the near-ghost-town seen last week.
According to a source within CBP, not authorized to speak to the media, around 300 migrants are crossing daily into Lukeville. Since the beginning of May, the source says 4,500 migrants have crossed into the area. In December, the source says the traffic was nearly three to four times higher at 1,600 to 2,000 breaching the border wall daily. The source says the slowdown is a welcome change in the area and is now allowing the Border Patrol to open shuttered highway checkpoints and to resume field patrols between the ports of entry.
Breitbart Texas visited the area recently and observed that the once-busy rally points were completely void of migrants. The source says the reduction in migrant crossings means fewer transportation resources are needed to move the migrants away from the border wall, eliminating the need to keep the rally points in the Organ Pipe National Monument operational around the clock. As reported by Breitbart Texas, crossing points in the national park have been used by migrants from across the globe.
In the video, Breitbart Texas moved through a camp visited on several previous occasions in 2023. In December, the site was operational nearly 24 hours daily and used to stage migrants awaiting transportation to a processing center for release into the United States to pursue asylum claims.
The election-year deal appears to prove that executive action can significantly change migration levels along the southwest border, despite statements to the contrary over the last three years. According to Customs and Border Protection, migrant crossings into the Tucson Border Patrol Sector, which includes Lukeville, have dropped by 61 percent since December 2023.
During that month, 80,184 migrants crossed into the United States, compared to 31,219 in April. The apprehension of migrants from Venezuela during this time frame has reduced by 80 percent. Migrants from the Central American northern triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador have also reduced by 81 percent during this time frame.
In late April, President Biden and Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez-Obrador (AMLO) issued a joint statement doubling down on efforts further to reduce illegal migration at the United States southern border, saying:
President Joe Biden and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador spoke by telephone on Sunday, April 28th about their continued commitment to strengthening bilateral and regional cooperation that will benefit the people of the United States and Mexico. The two leaders discussed how to effectively manage hemispheric migration, strengthen operational efficiency on our shared border, and thereby improve the security and prosperity of citizens of both countries. In the short term, the two leaders ordered their national security teams to work together to immediately implement concrete measures to significantly reduce irregular border crossings while protecting human rights.
The continued focus on reducing the level of migrant crossings between the AMLO government and the Biden Administration will likely keep the migration levels low as both countries are in a simultaneous Presidential election season. According to a recent Gallup poll, the topic of illegal immigration is still of significant importance to 48 percent of Americans.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
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