Migrants could take advantage of one “last chance” to enter the US illegally, a former Republican nominee told GB News.
Genevieve Collins, the Texas leader for Americans For Prosperity which advocates for policy change in the US, explained the latest developments in the US migrant crisis and issued a warning that migrant crossings could surge ahead of the presidential election later this year.
Illegal border crossings have been slowly in decline since February having come from a record high of more than 300,000 in December 2023, according to the US Customs and Border Protection agency.
Illegal migrants could take advantage of ‘last chance’ to enter USREUTERSShe then added that if the Democratic nominee was to win the presidential election with her recently announced running mate, Tim Walz, her approach to managing the border would likely continue and allow for a surge in migrant numbers.
When asked whether there could be a surge in migrants as the US heads into the presidential elections, Collins suggested that the run-up to the Trump-Harris showdown could be a “last chance” for migrants to enter.
“This is just guesstimation here but as polls continue to evolve and Donald Trump begins to become the ascending candidate, if you're a citizen that lives in Guatemala, for example, and you're trying to get out, this might be between October and November 5 your last chance to really enter in droves.
“So we could see another massive migration pattern that comes through because everyone, I think, knows that if Donald Trump becomes president, the border is closed.”
US LATEST:
Texas leader for Americans For Prosperity Genevieve Collins
GB News
Collins added that if Harris was elected instead, migrant numbers would continue to surge.
“I don't think that anyone believes that that same case [the border is closed] is true if Kamala Harris becomes president.
“And so you could see another surge to your point.”
When asked whether migrants “fear a Trump presidency”, Collins continued: “Yes. I think my personal opinion, Trump is very much feared because he's seen as an obstacle to illegal immigration.”
Delving further into why migrants would not choose to cross the border now, Collins explained that scorching temperatures are making the crossing dangerous.
She said: “It is 40C plus in South Texas.
“Right now we are in a seasonal migration pattern. It is like crossing the Sahara desert. It is so hot and it's just really unsafe for people to try to cross into this country.”
Kamala Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee last weekREUTERSEarlier in the interview, Collins, who recently launched the Freedom is Bigger in Texas campaign to spotlight the Biden-Harris administration’s failures on a range of topics, expressed two concerns about the last four years of Government.
The first concern was rooted in the number of ‘getaway’ migrants, which she suggested could number in the millions and the second involved another four years of Harris’s open border policy.
“What signal does that continue to send to people in Central America, South America, who live in very terrible circumstances?” Collins questioned.
“That's a transfer signal that says, we have a presidential administration that is much more lax on immigration policy.
“So we might continue to see huge numbers of illegal immigration if Kamala Harris gets elected.”