US bolsters border security with exercises ahead of Trump inauguration

United States law enforcement agents on Friday conducted exercises involving barbed wire and concrete blocks at a border crossing with Mexico.

The exercises caused a 40-minute halt in vehicle crossings on an international bridge linking Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas.

According to an AFP journalist, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers carried out the training as part of their preparedness measures.

A statement from the CBP office in El Paso noted that such exercises began in 2019 to ensure agents are ready for potential border incidents.

However, local residents in Ciudad Juarez have observed an increase in these activities ahead of Trump’s inauguration on Monday. Trump has pledged to implement the largest deportation of undocumented migrants in US history.

“This is the second closure I’ve seen this week,” said Yadira Martinez, one of several people waiting to cross the border.

Ciudad Juarez serves as a significant entry point for migrants seeking refuge from poverty, violence, or political instability in their home countries. It is also one of the official locations for filing asylum applications through the US government’s CBP One mobile app.

In response to growing concerns, the Mexican border city of Tijuana recently declared a state of emergency to allocate resources for handling the potential influx of deportees.

Trump, who has frequently referred to migrants’ arrival as an “invasion,” has vowed to declare a national emergency at the border and expel millions of people lacking residency papers after taking office.