The northern and southern U.S. borders will remain closed to most traffic for at least another month. The U.S., Canada and Mexico have agreed to extend their cross-border restrictions through September 21. The restrictions were put in place last spring due to the coronavirus pandemic and have been extended in monthly increments since then. The policy bans all "non-essential" cross-border travel, but exempts things like imports/exports or citizens returning to their own country.
Bob Price, Texas-based immigration reporter for Breitbart, tells KTRH the extension makes sense, especially for the Texas border. "When you look at the number of hospitalizations along the border for people with COVID and the mass overcrowding in the beds, you understand why something had to be done," he says.
"I spoke with (Customs and Border Protection) Commissioner Mark Morgan, and he told me this action has cut border traffic at ports of entry by 60 percent," says Price. "That's a significant difference."
While illegal border crossings have declined during the pandemic, they haven't stopped. In fact, the new restrictions have caused smugglers to intensify their tactics. "We're seeing a lot more cases of people being smuggled in the back of 18-wheelers, or being packed into stash houses where they are extorted and abused," says Price. "It's a very dangerous proposition."
The bottom line is that the U.S. is still an economic draw for migrants, meaning border security will be an issue regardless of the pandemic or any new restrictions. "No matter how bad it is in the United States, it's still far better than it is in Mexico, in El Salvador, in Guetamala, in Honduras," says Price. "So that's why people are crossing."