Mexican officials have begun dismantling a large migrant shelter in Nogales after occupancy rates plunged.
The move signals that illegal border crossings have fallen sharply under President Donald Trump’s tightened enforcement policies.
Nogales Mayor Juan Francisco Gim confirmed Tuesday that the shelter — built under the federal Mexico Embraces You program — will be scaled back.
President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced that “we only have to keep 200 beds, and we have that capacity and more,” Gim said at a press conference.
The Nogales shelters was one of several border-city centers created to handle deportees from the U.S.
But with crossings down, local and federal authorities have started repurposing the sites. Tents once set up on municipal sports fields are being removed.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson credited Trump’s strict border policies for the downturn.
In fiscal 2025, the Border Patrol recorded around 237,000 apprehensions of migrants crossing the southern border illegally — the lowest annual total since 1970.
In July, about 4,600 attempted crossings were detected, a roughly 91.8% drop compared with July 2024.
“President Trump has kept his promise and created the most secure border in history,” Jackson said. “Word of the closed border has spread so far and wide that migrants aren’t even bothering to try.
“They know they’ll be turned away.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is now on pace to match the nation’s record for annual deportations, last set in 2012 under President Barack Obama.
New U.S. Census Bureau data also show the overall foreign-born population dropped by 2.2 million between January and July 2025.
Researchers estimate about 1.6 million of those were illegal immigrants who either left voluntarily or were deported.
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