Can 2024 see an end to the US-Mexico migrant crisis?

According to several stories in the news recently, US officials may have processed the biggest number of individuals ever recorded at the US-Mexico border in the final month of 2023 — an estimated 300,000 people. The figures have not yet been made public by the Department of Homeland Security.

The figures are released as the US prepares for a presidential election year, when immigration is certain to be a hot topic. The front-runner for the Democratic candidacy, President Joe Biden, has viewed immigrants as assets to the country.

However, he has also taken action to stop the continuous influx. Donald Trump, the former president who is most likely to win the Republican nominee, has long supported tighter immigration laws and has used derogatory language to characterize immigrants.

Experts have identified a number of causes for the mayhem. According to VOA, Michelle Mittelstadt, director of communications and public affairs at the Migration Policy Institute, has outlined several causes for the current situation.

The “push” and “pull” aspects have caused the expert to express alarm. She claimed that a number of migrants reaching the border had been “pushed” by political unrest, natural disasters, and other problems, out of their home countries.