MCALLEN - People at the McAllen bus station said lately they’re seeing fewer Central Americans.

Laura Pedera, a bus company employee, said the number of people processed by immigration officials after crossing the border illegally has decreased.

Pedera said the decline started about three weeks ago. When we spoke to her there were no Central Americans waiting for a bus.

Earlier this week, a volunteer said two people had arrived in just one day. The volunteer said a rush of thirty people turned up at the bus station the following day.

Among them were Guatemalan-native Nancy Gomez and her three sons who crossed the border illegally this week. She said people in Guatemala now have different attitudes about trying to get into the U.S.

“They’re afraid to come here because of the deportations that are happening,” she said.

Gomez said she used to run a bread store before she decided to take on the journey to the north.

“Criminals started coming to me for money. They kept raising the amount. I wasn’t making enough,” she said.

The mother of three said extortion happens a lot in her home country. She said she decided to take risks in fear of her family’s safety.

Gomez said she’ll risk deportation, ask for appeal and hope the new administration lets her stay.