The commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Rodney Scott, delivered a strong deterrent message on Saturday aimed at those considering crossing the U.S. border illegally, summarizing the process in one sentence: arrested in minutes, deported in hours.
Scott posted the message on his X account accompanied by a video that showcases the complete cycle of detention, processing, documentation, and removal of migrants who crossed without authorization.
"You save money for months, pay thousands of dollars to a smuggler, risk your life traveling illegally to the U.S., only to be arrested in minutes and deported in hours. It's not smart! Save your money, save your life, stay home!" wrote the official.
The narration of the video is equally straightforward: "They crossed illegally, believing they had time. They did not. As soon as they crossed the border, agents were waiting for them. Arrested. Processed. Documented. Removed. No extended stay. No release within the country. Just the swift enforcement of U.S. immigration law."
The video concludes with the phrase: "One border, one mission, one result."
Scott also expressed his gratitude in his post to the Department of Defense and Secretary Rubio "for helping to secure the border and keep America safe," referring to the military support deployed at the southern border, where by May 2026, approximately 9,000 military personnel were operating on support missions for CBP.
The message comes in the context of the most restrictive immigration policy in decades. In October 2025, the Department of Homeland Security reported only 30,561 encounters along the entire border, the lowest level since CBP began collecting statistics, a 79% decrease compared to the same month in 2024.
The Border Patrol did not release any undocumented migrants within U.S. territory for six consecutive months, according to data from the DHS itself.
For Cubans, the effective closure of the northern route has redirected migration flows to alternatives such as Brazil, where Cuban asylum applications exceeded 41,900 in 2025, an 88% increase compared to 2024, making Cubans the largest nationality seeking refuge in that country.
In May 2026, operations at the Brazil-Guyana border detected the illegal entry of over forty Cubans, including seven children, highlighting that human trafficking networks remain active in that corridor.
Immigration lawyer Willy Allen had already warned in May that presenting oneself at the border to request asylum is a "very, very difficult and problematic" path.
"I still wouldn't recommend anyone to cross the border. At this moment, I wouldn't advise you to show up," Allen pointed out, warning that applicants would be processed in detention with little chance of success under the current administration.
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