“Smugglers are telling them that they need to come across now while there’s a chance,” Art Del Cueto, a Border Patrol agent in Tucson, Ariz., recently told Fox News.
Mexican drug cartels and human traffickers are cashing in ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration by exploiting anxiety over his vow to build a border wall and crack down on illegal immigration – fueling the latest surge across the U.S.-Mexico line, according to local law enforcement.
The president-elect reiterated his pledge at a press conference Wednesday to build a “wall” – which he claims will curb illegal immigration, reduce gun violence and stop drugs from being smuggled into the country.
For now, however, the Obama administration’s leniency, combined with concerns about Trump’s crackdown, is seen as contributing to a spike in crossings from California to Texas.
“There’s definitely a percentage of folks who believed that they can beat the clock,” said Jose Villareal, chief of operations for the Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley sector.
On a recent ride-along in south Texas, Cameron County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Robert Rodriguez told FoxNews.com he has noted an increase in the flow of border crossers since Trump’s White House win.
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