Following Donald Trump’s win in the 2024 presidential election, drug cartels and human trafficking organizations operating along the southern border have raised their smuggling prices.
The increase in “fees” from these cartel smugglers is being credited to a new sense of urgency among illegal aliens trying to cross the border before Trump’s return to the Oval Office in January, according to Breitbart.
Reports from Sonora, Mexico, a popular point of departure for those attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border unlawfully, indicate that the cost of smuggling services has nearly doubled in recent weeks.
The standard fee for crossing the border, which had been around $5,000 per person in recent months, has surged to at least $10,000 per person, according to a report from Mexico-city-based newspaper Excelsior. Other smuggling services provided by cartels, such as the use of vehicles to cross private land, have allegedly risen in price from $15,000 to as much as $20,000.
Illegal aliens coming from other countries farther away, such as China, have seen even steeper price hikes, with some paying upwards of $55,000 for help to get across the border. In 2023 alone, 24,000 Chinese nationals were apprehended trying to cross the southern border, a huge increase from the year before, reported Breitbart.
The surge in smuggling fees comes as many immigrants attempt to enter the U.S. in anticipation of stricter immigration policies under a second Trump administration. Trump, who has consistently focused on immigration issues rising at the U.S.-Mexico border, campaigned on a promise to complete the border wall that was started during his first term. He has also previously vowed to carry out a large-scale deportation initiative.
Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Tom Homan, whom Trump has appointed as his new Border Czar, has also consistently pledged to prioritize new strong enforcement measures at the border in the coming months.
Despite the increased costs demanded from cartels, vast numbers of illegal aliens continue to take the risk of crossing, driven by hopes of securing employment or asylum, with many entering through Texas.
According to a past report from Newsweek, Texas has seen the most border crossings of any state, with 1,399,790 migrants arriving in 2022, up from 1,115,906 in 2021.
Victor Avila, a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent, recently told The Dallas Express, that “The cooperation between Texas and the Federal government will be unprecedented and a model for the rest of the nation to follow when it comes to enforcing our immigration laws, border security, and public safety.”