President Donald Trump tweeted a quote Saturday morning from National Border Patrol Council president Brandon Judd lauding Mexico as a “true Border Security Partner” since the president “got involved.”
“In 22 years of patrolling our Southern Border, I have never seen Mexico act like a true Border Security Partner until President Trump got involved, and now they are stepping up to the plate and doing what they need to do.” Brandon Judd, National Border Patrol
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2019
The president’s tweets comes after the government of Mexico announced a 56% drop in the number of migrants arriving at its border with the United States over the past three months.
Fox News reported Friday:
Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, citing data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the number of migrants apprehended at the frontier in August was 63,989 in August, down from 146,266 in May. Those numbers included people who presented themselves at U.S. ports of entry and were deemed inadmissible.
The Mexican government has deployed more than 20,000 police officers and National Guard troops across the country as part of an aggressive campaign meant to deter Central American migrants from passing through its territory en route to the United States. Ebrard said there had been seven formal complaints of human rights violations involving the National Guard, a relatively low number which he saw as another sign of success.
Mexico agreed in June to work to reduce migrant flow from Central America in exchange for President Trump not imposing tariffs on the country, offering major concessions which included the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops as well as asylum law changes. (RELATED: Mexico Steps Up Illegal Immigration Enforcement After Trump’s Tariff Threat)
“We’re showing that the strategy that Mexico put forward has been successful,” said Ebrard. “I don’t expect a tariff threat Tuesday because it wouldn’t make sense.”
Successful tactics the country has employed reportedly include targeting smuggling networks, raiding freight trains headed north, and warning taxi and bus drivers that transporting migrants could result in a loss of permits.