Trump’s victory has spurned fears that a surge in migrants will try to enter the country illegally before Trump can make any changes to immigration.
The Biden administration on Wednesday warned migrants not to listen to smugglers trying to push them to illegally enter the country before former President Donald Trump returns to the White House in January, claiming the administration would continue to enforce its immigration laws.
Trump won the presidential election in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and has promised to tighten border security and crackdown on illegal immigration. The victory has spurned fears that a surge in migrants will try to enter the country illegally before Trump can make any changes to immigration.
The Department of Homeland Security said they have not seen such a surge in migrants so far, according to NBC News.
“Migrants should not believe the lies of smugglers,” a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said. “The fact remains: the United States continues to enforce immigration law, and migrants should use safe, lawful, and orderly pathways to come to the United States.”
Although officials have not reported a surge in migrants trying to flock to the United States, reported chatter on WhatsApp saw immigrants talking about how Trump would shut down the border as soon as he takes office on January 20.
“He takes power on the 21 of January. He can’t make any decree yet,” one user said. Another responded, “There’s not a lot of [time] left. He has the decrees already in his mind.”
Another user incorrectly claimed that Trump would take power on January 10, meaning they had less time than they thought.
“You have until January to enter,” another person said.
