On Thursday, Jeh Johnson, the former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, credited President Donald Trump for the sharp reduction of illegal immigration to the US on the southwestern border. Johnson said that the power of Trump’s rhetoric was enough to deter undocumented immigrants from trying to make it to the US.
Johnson says that many Central Americans have decided to either try their luck in Mexico or remain in their current circumstances, regardless of how desperate they may be, largely because of the anti-immigration rhetoric espoused by the new President since he took office in January. Johnson worked for the former President, Barack Obama, for years – along with other officials, he attempted to cut down on illegal immigration following the border crisis in 2014, when thousands of unaccompanied immigrant minors attempted to enter the US illegally.
The level of immigration fell in 2015, after close cooperation between Central American nations and the Obama administration, to try to cut down on the flow of immigrants. But, in Obama’s final year in office, in 2016, immigration numbers began to increase again.
The flow of undocumented immigrants has fallen under President Donald Trump, which has been credited to the tougher stance on the issue taken by the Trump administration. Although Johnson admits that Trump’s rhetoric has worked, he also added the caveat that he hoped the new administration would not lose sight of the need to treat immigrants in a humane manner.