President Trump says he will “close the border” on his first day in office. Before that happens, the Biden administration is reportedly preparing for one final surge of migrants attempting to cross the southern border illegally. 

In the closing days of President Biden’s time in office, the Department of Homeland Security is bracing for the possibility of a surge of migrants seeking to get into America before new border restrictions are implemented, NBC News reports.

Top officials with Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement reportedly met with the Homeland Security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, on Monday to discuss a possible migration surge and how to prepare for it. 

The discussions focused on whether enough beds were available to detain migrants and if they could quickly process asylum claims or if they would be releasing migrants into parts of America with court dates. 

Officials told NBC News they have not seen signs of a coming surge of migration since Trump won the election. 

A Customs and Border Patrol spokesman said migrants should “not believe the lies of smugglers.”

“The fact remains: the United States continues to enforce immigration law, and migrants should use safe, lawful, and orderly pathways to come to the United States,” the spokesman added.

After Trump was swept to victory on Tuesday, migrants began discussing the election’s impact on the border on WhatsApp and suggesting now is the time to make the trek to America.

“After the 21 of January, he’ll close the borders with extreme security,” one user wrote. Another said, “You have until January to enter.”

The number of apprehensions of migrants illegally crossing the border hovered around 55,000 in the months leading up to the election, down from a record 250,000 in December 2023.

However, officials have been concerned about the possibility that a Trump win would lead to a rush to the border before the 47th president implements new restrictions and procedures to limit the flood of illegal border crossings. 

Exit polls showed immigration was a significant issue for voters when they decided who they would cast their ballot for. Trump has vowed to stem the tide of illegal immigration as estimates say more than 10 million people entered the country illegally on Mr. Biden’s watch. 

He has also said he would carry out “mass deportations.” While the administration could face challenges in terms of detention space to hold migrants before they are removed from America and funding for such an operation, polls found that a majority of Americans said they would support mass deportation of migrants in the country illegally.