Maybe all our porous southern border needed was an 800-pound gorilla in the room. According to a new report from Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly, “From January to February, the flow of illegal border crossings as measured by apprehensions and the prevention of inadmissible persons at our southern border dropped by 40 percent.” The report continues, “This change in the trend line is especially significant because [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] CBP historically sees a 10-20 percent increase in apprehensions of illegal immigrants from January to February. Instead, this year we saw a drop from 31,578 to 18,762 persons — a 40 percent decline.”

This appears not to be coincidental, either. Critically, the report notes, “This is encouraging news as in the period from Oct 1, 2016 to the Presidential inauguration, [CBP] reported 157,000 apprehensions of illegal immigrants — a 35 percent increase over the previous fiscal year, with family units increasing by more than 100 percent. However, since President Trump took office on January 20, we have seen a dramatic drop in numbers.” In other words, a sharp pre-Trump administration increase turned abruptly into an even sharper decrease.

The Left is trying to spin this report by injecting an array of potential variables, and other elements could certainly be contributing. But it’s just about impossible not to conclude that our new president is the primary deterrent. After all, what’s the point in crossing the border when you’re almost guaranteed to be sent back? In the Obama years, you at least a decent chance of staying put. That’s not the case now. However, Republicans shouldn’t let this development compel them to think twice about erecting a wall. Trump won’t be president forever, and if a Democrat succeeds him, a wall will at least serve as a permanent barricade. Unless, of course, the Democrat Party wants to test the will of the American electorate by trying to tear it down.