[NYP] It’s the Trump turnaround.
The White House has launched a near-total crackdown on migrants at the border, not even bothering to question whether they are seeking asylum, leading droves to just throw in the towel, officials and sources say.
The migrants are halting in their tracks and returning south "due to increased border security" after President Trump ended the Biden administration’s risky "catch and release" program, deployed additional troops to the border and commenced a mass deportation effort across the nation, Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks said on X.
"These individuals cited the heavy security posture along the U.S.-Mexico border and Mexico’s containment efforts as key reasons for reversing course," Banks wrote.
"Families in these groups made a life-saving decision, avoiding the dangers of cartel-controlled territory, where extortion and violence are rampant," the former Texas border czar said.
"Our enforcement efforts are working."
The Trump administration has essentially taken a "zero tolerance" to migrants even claiming asylum, sources said.
When migrants now try to cross into the US either legally or illegally and claim asylum, they are returned immediately to Mexico if they’re from Central America and several other countries or sent to ICE for detention and eventual removal, according to Homeland Security sources.
Border Patrol agents are no longer required to question migrants about their wants for asylum. 
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