'Status quo' at southern border 'ends' when Trump's in office, says National Border Patrol Council president
Paul Perez says he expects 'a lot of changes'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The president of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) predicted substantial changes to the United States’ immigration policy in the coming months after President-elect Trump’s decisive victory in the 2024 presidential election.
"We're going to see a lot of changes. We're going to see a lot – a more secure border like what we had when President Trump was in his first term," said Paul Perez – the NBPC president of the labor union in southern Texas – Thursday on "America Reports."
"He's got a lot of people that are going to be good to work with that are going to come in, people like Tom Homan that have a strong background, that know exactly how to do this," Perez added, referring to the former acting ICE director under Trump.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Border Patrol picks up a group of asylum seekers from an aid camp at the US-Mexico border near Sasabe, Arizona, US, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Photographer: Justin Hamel/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Justin Hamel/Getty Images)
The president-elect campaigned on mass deportations of immigrants who entered the country illegally during the past three and a half years of the Biden-Harris administration.
"We are going to start the largest mass deportation in the history of our country because we have no choice. It’s not sustainable. And we’re going to start with violent criminals – and we’re going to start then with criminals, and our local police is going to work with us because they know everything about the people," Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago press conference in August.
Fox News Voter Analysis found immigration was one of the key issues in the 2024 race and saw the 45th president making substantial gains with Hispanic voters compared to four years ago.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Trump won 42% of Hispanic voters in 2024, compared to 35% in 2020, a 7% shift. He also flipped Starr County in Texas red for the first time in more than 120 years.
Donald Trump pumps his fist as he arrives to speak at a campaign event at Nassau Coliseum, Wednesday, Sept.18, 2024, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Fox News Voter Analysis also found Trump’s gains along the Texas border were the most for a GOP presidential candidate in at least 30 years.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Perez reacted to the shift from Hispanic voters and the gains made by the president-elect, telling "America Reports" co-anchor John Roberts, "it’s not a surprise."
Immigration was the second-most important issue to Wisconsin voters, and he carried those who said immigration was the most important factor to their vote by 71 points. (Fox News)
"What we saw was nothing short of amazing. But I can tell you why. The people here, it's been ground zero for the influx of criminals, illegal immigrants coming across. And the people here saw it firsthand. They got frustrated. They weren't buying what the Biden administration was selling, which was, hey, there's nothing going on on the border. It's a controlled border. They got to see it," he said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"These were people that live on the border in some of the poorest areas in the country. And they supported Trump not only because of the illegal immigrant influx [but] because of what the economy was doing. They were being devastated. They were going to do the right thing based on the facts, not on the rhetoric. And it was a big change. And it was coming because of what they have seen firsthand. Nobody has seen what they've seen."
President Joe Biden receives a briefing at the U.S.-Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas on February 29, 2024. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
Perez added that there could be an influx of migrants between now and when Trump is sworn in as the 47th president because there will be a new sheriff in town.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We may see an influx between now and then because we know this administration is going to maintain the status quo and allow as many people as they can to come into the country. But once President Trump is in office, that ends," he said. "And so, we're going to see a lot of changes coming forward."