When examining the figures, it seems to be a success story. Migrant apprehensions at the US-Mexico border are currently at their lowest level since 1967—a significant decrease from the record highs observed just a few years back. The stringent immigration policies implemented by the Trump administration have evidently deterred many individuals from embarking on the perilous journey northward. However, if you dig deeper into the statistics, a much more complex and troubling scenario begins to unfold.

Since coming back to office, the Trump administration has expelled over 605,000 individuals, with another 1.9 million choosing to leave on their own—resulting in a total of more than 2.5 million who have exited the US. Asylum has essentially been closed off at the border, and on June 25, the Supreme Court made two significant rulings that greatly increase the difficulty for individuals seeking protection in the United States. The toll on human lives is becoming increasingly difficult to overlook. An estimated hundreds of thousands of children many of whom are US citizens have faced separation from a parent due to arrests or deportations. This year, at least 14 individuals have lost their lives in ICE detention centers one every six days raising alarms about the conditions in facilities run by contractors. Additionally, those who can no longer access the US are not simply returning home. In Tapachula, a Mexican city near the border with Guatemala, thousands of migrants from Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela, and even West Africa find themselves stranded with no destination caught in what aid workers describe as a "protection crisis with humanitarian consequences."

The migration crisis has not vanished; it has merely shifted. While there are fewer individuals crossing the US border, an increasing number are enduring hardship in detention facilities, in Mexican border towns, and in their countries of origin. Experts caution that shutting every legal avenue only generates a backlog of migration demand, which will inevitably lead to the next crisis. The challenge confronting the world is not solely about managing borders ,it is also about doing so without neglecting the humanity of those on the other side.