(DCNF)—Migrant shelters along the border and across the country are closing down as illegal immigration continues to plunge under the Trump administration.
American taxpayers have shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars to various migrant shelter facilities in Texas, California, New York and elsewhere since the border crisis reached its height under the Biden administration. With President Donald Trump prioritizing border enforcement and illegal immigration falling to unprecedented lows, leading to substantially fewer migrants needing care, many of these shelters have no reason to remain open.
“We’ve been preparing for these changes in federal policies and enforcement,” Michael Hopkins,” CEO of Jewish Family Service (JFS) of San Diego, said in a January statement regarding the closing of its migrant shelter. “While there are no longer individuals or families seeking asylum released from short term federal immigration custody to our Shelter Services, we are seeing increased needs for immigration legal assistance and other social service supports to vulnerable San Diegans.”
The JFS-run San Diego Rapid Response Network Migrant Shelter provided services to roughly 250,000 asylum seekers since it opened in 2018, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. This behemoth facility, which was once hailed as a national model for other migrant shelters, received incredible backing from the federal government, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarding JFS $22 million in fiscal year 2024 alone.
However, the shelter’s operators say circumstances changed rapidly upon Trump’s return to office. Hopkins revealed that since Trump was inaugurated and immediately shut down the CBP One app for asylum applicants, the shelter has received a grand total of zero new migrants.
The San Diego Rapid Response Network Migrant Shelter is far from the only facility experiencing this trend.
The San Antonio Migrant Resource Center (MRC), in partnership with Catholic Charities, opened in July 2022 and provided shelter for illegal migrants arriving by bus and plane by the hundreds every single day, according to a press release by the City of San Antonio. Since January 2021, the city has served more than 640,00 migrants traveling through to other destinations — costing the city roughly $35 million to operate the MRC.
As fewer and fewer migrants arrive in San Antonio, with arrivals declining by 72% from January 2024 to 2025, city leadership says there’s no reason to keep the shelter open any longer.
“The number of migrants currently arriving at the MRC no longer justifies the cost of running it,” City Manager Erik Walsh said in a statement earlier in February. “At the time, hundreds of migrants were arriving at the San Antonio International Airport and the downtown Greyhound Bus Station daily, with most having no travel arrangements to get to their destinations. That is no longer the case.”
More than 1,000 miles away from the U.S.-Mexico border, a city once at the epicenter of the national illegal immigration crisis is now closing down its migrant shelters as fewer illegal migrants arrive.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Friday the impending closure of six emergency shelters for asylum seekers, bringing the total number of migrant shelter closures in NYC from June 2024 to June 2025 to 52. Adams’ office in January confirmed that the number of people in city-run shelters have declined for 27 consecutive weeks.
The immense drop in migrant numbers marks a welcome change for the country’s biggest sanctuary city. Adams said Thursday that more than 230,000 migrants have flocked to the Big Apple since the spring of 2022, costing taxpayers roughly $7 billion and once forcing the mayor to announce major budget cuts in order to shoulder the massive number of illegal migrants.
The shelter closures coincide with incredible drops in migrant encounters along the southern border.
“In the last 24 hours the US Border Patrol has encountered a total of 229 aliens across the entire southwest border,” border czar Tom Homan posted Monday on X. “That is down from a high of over 11,000 a day under Biden. I started as a Border Patrol Agent in 1984 and I don’t remember the numbers ever being that low.”
Since Trump re-entered office, Customs and Border Protection and other government officials have confirmed substantial drops in illegal immigration activity. Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Chris Olivarez confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation that illegal border crossings along the Texas-Mexico border fell by 85% in January, citing a combination of successful policies by Gov. Greg Abbott and the new Trump administration.
Since resuming the Oval Office, Trump has issued an exhaustive list of executive orders aimed at controlling the border and removing incentives for would-be illegal migrants, such as declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and attempting to end birthright citizenship. His administration has also published a number of internal directives to better equip federal immigration authorities, such as removing barriers for enforcement actions and deputizing agents across many other federal agencies with immigration authorities.
Fear of U.S. tariffs prompted the Mexican government to deploy 10,000 soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border to help stop the flow of illegal immigration and end the importation of fentanyl, securing an international boundary already bolstered by American troops deployed by the Trump administration. Upon news of Trump’s re-election, many illegal migrants have chosen to turn around, feeling there was no use of even attempting to enter unlawfully any longer.
“President Trump promised a secure border and he is delivering,” Homan said.
The Jewish Family Service and the City of San Antonio did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the DCNF.
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Why the National Debt Is the Looming Threat to Your Retirement Plans
The Hidden Crisis No One Is Talking About
Every day, headlines warn about inflation, market volatility, and global instability—but the greatest looming threat to your retirement might be something far more fundamental: America’s skyrocketing national debt.
You can learn more about how the national debt affects you by reading this 3-minute report titled, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now“.
With debt growing faster than most Americans can possibly fathom, the government’s borrowing habits have reached historic—and dangerous—levels. To cover spending, Washington is making moves with their budget packages, tariffs, and taxes. Is it enough? No. It’s not even close to what would be necessary to stop out-of-control debt, let alone reverse it.
How Debt Erodes Your Nest Egg
There are only so many levers government and the Federal Reserve can pull to try to protect Americans, assuming that’s even a top priority for them. Unfortunately, pulling one level to relive one pressure invariably adds pressure from another direction. This is why prices keep going up even as inflation reportedly slows.
For retirees and pre-retirees, that’s a perfect storm. The dollars you’ve worked hard to save lose value, and your cost of living increases while your investments lag behind.
If you’re relying solely on paper-based assets—stocks, bonds, or mutual funds—you’re essentially tied to the same system that’s creating the problem. It’s a system that was designed to work well in the 20th century, not in today’s world with people living longer and the dollar rapidly losing value.
This is why the 3-minute report, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now,” is so important.
The Precious Metals Hedge
Thousands of Americans are looking for a tangible, time-tested hedge: physical gold and silver.
Unlike paper assets, precious metals aren’t dependent on government policy or the stock market’s mood swings. They’re real, finite resources that have maintained value for thousands of years through wars, recessions, and inflationary periods.
In fact, during times of high inflation and fiscal instability, gold often performs its best—because it’s seen as a store of value when faith in the dollar weakens. This is why prices have skyrocketed this year and are expected by many economists to continue going up in the future.
Take Control with a Gold IRA
One of the most effective ways to protect your retirement from national debt fallout is through a self-directed Gold IRA. This IRS-approved account lets you hold physical gold and silver within your retirement portfolio, giving you:
- Direct ownership of your assets
- A hedge against inflation and dollar decline
- The control to diversify beyond Wall Street
Augusta Precious Metals specializes in helping Americans just like you take this step with confidence. The company has earned a strong reputation for transparency, education, and personalized service—making it one of the most trusted names in the industry.
The Next Step: Secure Your Financial Future
Augusta Precious Metals has helped thousands of Americans with at least $50,000 to invest from their IRAs, 401(K)s, TSPs, and other retirement accounts safeguard their savings through precious metals.
If you’re concerned about what the rising national debt could mean for your future, now is the time to act.
Read this 3-minute report titled, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now“ and learn the simple steps you can take to protect your retirement.
