Ciscomani Suggests Surge in Border Crossings is Driven by Fear of Trump Returning to Office

Illegal border crossings reached a record high in December, with over 302,000 encounters in a month, and activity has spiked since. Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) commented to Cactus Politics about the surge, suggesting that the fear of former President Donald Trump returning to office motivates it. Thus, crossers hope to be in the United States soon.

"We have been seeing the numbers go up for a while," said Rep. Ciscomani, "I mean, December was a record-breaker at any time in history."

Despite some fluctuations, illegal border crossings have not reached normal levels this year, indicating a persistent upward trend. As Rep. Ciscomani points out, this is due to the continued openness of the border, a situation that demands immediate attention.

When asked about the influence of the upcoming November election on the increase in border crossings, Rep. Ciscomani expressed his concern. He stated, "If you look historically when you get closer to an election, Border Patrol tells us that an increase is expected. However, when you have an increase on top of record-breaking months, that is very concerning."

As a result, Ciscomani stipulated, "We are going to continue to see that because as we get closer to November and into next year, they may see that window potentially closing. And to be honest with you, once we win the White House back, the policies are going to change, and we are going to be able to do more of what we want to do."

Earlier in May, Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ) blasted recent numbers showing approximately 180,000 people illegally crossed the border in April, further condemning the Biden Administration and Democrat-controlled Senate for not passing H.R.2, which has been sitting on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) desk since last May.

"Mr. Biden's 94 executive actions on immigration and his failed, open border policies created the border invasion, and it is costing taxpayers $451 billion each year. House Republicans passed a tough border security bill, H.R. 2, last May, but Senator Schumer and Joe Biden refuse to support it. They would rather have a wide-open border than a safe America," said Rep. Gosar.