Claims by the Trump administration that the southern border is now secure have been directly contradicted by a Texas sheriff on the frontline, who insists his stretch of the frontier remains "wide open" to Mexico.
A Remote and Hostile Anomaly
Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland, a retired Border Patrol agent, told the Daily Mail that illegal immigrant crossings are actually rising across the 91 miles of US-Mexico border he oversees near Sanderson, Texas. This remote region, about two hours from Marfa, is widely considered the most hostile and isolated part of the international boundary.
"We have seen an increase since Trump first took over," Cleveland stated, directly challenging the White House's narrative. This contradicts a victory lap taken by the administration in April, just 99 days into Trump's current term. At that time, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declared, "America's borders are now secure because of President Trump."
The Harsh Reality of Crossings
The statistics from Terrell County paint a troubling picture. In just this year, the Sanderson region has recorded 573 'gotaways'—illegal immigrants known to have entered the US but evaded capture. The perilous journey involves crossing the dangerous rapids of the Rio Grande, where dozens drown annually, scaling 200-foot cliffs, and then walking for days to a pickup point.
Sheriff Cleveland shared images of migrants caught wearing camouflage to blend into the desert, instructed by smugglers who charge exorbitant fees. Mexican citizens pay $7,500 to $10,000 per person, while Guatemalans are charged around $15,000 each. Those who cannot keep up are often abandoned to die in the vast, inhospitable terrain.
Fluctuating Numbers and Resource Challenges
While the Trump administration rightly highlights a 95 percent reduction in illegal crossings compared to the Biden era, Terrell County is an anomaly. After an initial drop—from 65 arrests in January to 16 in March—numbers climbed back to 89 in April. Deputies now intercept around 40 crossers monthly, a figure expected to rise with warmer spring temperatures.
Despite additional federal agents and surveillance, Sheriff Cleveland criticises the tactical deployment of resources. He notes that Border Patrol agents are sometimes pulled from the frontlines to assist with interior enforcement in cities like Chicago. "Interior immigration enforcement is useless if you can't secure the southern border," he argued. "If we catch 300 in New Orleans, but thousands of illegal immigrants are still getting through the border."
Since January 20, the federal government reports over 605,000 migrant deportations and another 1.9 million self-deportations under a voluntary programme. However, Cleveland's assessment is stark: "It's better than it was but it isn't secured... People wouldn't keep coming if they weren't making it in."
