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It certainly looked like a ‘Trump effect.’ Within weeks of Donald Trump’s arrival at the White House in January 2017, the number of people caught crossing America’s southern border illegally fell to a 17-year low of 11,127. John Kelly, then secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), attributed the drop to Mr. Trump’s executive orders on immigration.Elaine Duke, the department’s deputy secretary, gave credit to better enforcement of immigration laws. Mr. Trump hailed it as ‘a historic and unprecedented achievement.’ If such an effect did exist, it appears to have been short-lived. On April 5th, the DHS announced that Border Patrol agents apprehended 37,393 people in March, an increase of more than 200% on the previous year. The number of unaccompanied children caught entering illegally jumped by 300%, and the number of families detained while attempting the journey surged by nearly 700%.’.