The landscape of the US-Mexico border has undergone a radical transformation in less than a year, with a crackdown on immigration by President Donald Trump leading to a near-total collapse in illegal crossings and a profound impact on the communities straddling the frontier.
A Deserted Frontier
Areas that were once teeming with migrants are now largely deserted. The San Diego Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol reported just 960 apprehensions in October 2025, a staggering drop from 14,165 in the same month a year prior. This represents the lowest level of illegal crossings since 1970, according to official statistics.
Locations like the 'Whiskey 8' section of the border wall, previously a major gathering point, now stand empty and locked down. A San Diego transit centre that served as a makeshift migrant depot has returned to its normal function, and the dusty gathering spots hemmed in by 30-foot walls are vacant once more.
The Human Cost and Consequences
The decline in border traffic has had a direct and measurable impact on local hospitals. Dr. Vishal Bansal, a trauma surgeon at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, recalls treating dozens of migrants each month for severe injuries sustained from falling off the towering border wall.
"Leg and ankle fractures were common, and he also treated spine, pelvic and traumatic brain injuries," the original report noted. However, the scene has changed dramatically. In the first ten months of 2025, San Diego hospitals treated just 44 such trauma patients, compared to 1,210 in all of 2024.
For immigration advocates, the situation is bleak. Tracy Crowley, an attorney with the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, stated that it is now exceedingly difficult to advise clients to seek asylum, leading many to opt for voluntary departure. Those who are detained face overcrowded conditions, poor food, and a lack of medical care.
"It's really hard to find a silver lining for me as an immigrant advocate," Crowley said, questioning whether human trafficking has truly decreased or is simply going undetected.
Ripple Effects Across the Border
The transformation is equally visible in Tijuana, Mexico. A plaza that once hosted as many as 3,500 migrants camping in squalid conditions is now largely devoid of pedestrians. Migrant shelters that were overflowing now report drastic reductions in occupancy.
The Ambassadors of Jesus shelter now houses 450-500 guests, down from 1,200 a year ago. According to its director, Gustavo Banda, many of those who remain "are just waiting for Donald Trump to finish his term to see what will happen."
The policy shift has also been marked by controversy. The Trump administration has pursued a record number of deportations, built a detention centre in a Florida wetland inhabited by alligators, and been involved in high-profile raids that have sparked protests. Reuters/Ipsos polling shows public approval of Trump’s immigration policy has fallen from 50% in March to 41% in a survey completed in November 2025.
Despite the political friction, the enforcement focus has allowed Border Patrol agents in the San Diego Sector to shift their efforts from processing detainees to patrolling remote desert and mountain passages, cementing a new, quieter reality along one of the world's busiest international borders.
