Human traffickers tell would-be border crossers 'it's now or never' if they want to get to the US

Human traffickers are urging migrants heading to the United States from South America to hurry up and cross the southern border illegally before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, saying, "It's now or never." Smugglers are using social media apps such as WhatsApp to communicate with the migrants and deliver demands, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

The human traffickers, many of whom work for criminal cartels and prey on migrants, reportedly stated in direct messages that once Trump returned to the White House, the US-Mexico border would be shut down immediately. The smugglers instructed migrants to "hurry up in case of a possible change" in immigration laws and sarcastically wished them "luck" at crossing the border without being apprehended, as per the report.

On his first day in office, Trump is anticipated to take a number of executive actions to strengthen immigration enforcement, such as sending National Guard troops to the southern border and declaring a national emergency in order to gain funding for the resuming of border wall construction. The president-elect plans to reinstate his "remain in Mexico" policy after President Biden discontinued the initiative. In addition, Trump intends to bring back the Title 42 policy of the COVID-19 era, which gave US border officials the authority to swiftly send migrants back to Mexico without giving them an opportunity to apply for asylum.

While human smugglers have encouraged migrants to rush to the border, it has been reported that Mexican law enforcement authorities have discouraged migrants from making the trek after Trump was elected 47th president. However, US border officials are still preparing for a potential surge. As a result, the state of Texas has increased law enforcement personnel at its border with Mexico.