President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration has not only deterred crossings into the U.S., but Mexico says the number of illegal aliens it sees from Central America has been cut in half since January.
Many of were likely headed to the U.S., again proving just the talk of enforcement is a deterrent.
“Illegal immigration has always been a rational calculus, people think the chance of getting in and staying in is very high, but with Trump they're not so sure, so they're staying home,” says Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies.
Camarota says Americans in general believe we should only be accepting immigrants who can contribute to our country.
“Brining in enormous numbers of low-income people is thought to be counter productive, that's why we limit th eflow and enforce our laws,” he says. “If we want to improve the lives of people around the world, immigration is largely irrelevant, the way to do it would be to help people where they are.”
The United Nations reports many who typically flee to the U.S. are now seeking asylum in other countries.