the vast number of illegals coming to the US come via border checkpoints using fake papers supplied by big agricultural companies. Relatively few cross the desert on foot, and most of those are caught by Border Patrol. More would be caught if Border Patrol were fully funded.
Better to be safe than sorry. I don't relish having to navigate the rules and regulations of the Thai tax code next year - so I won't be a tax resident this year.
I will decide on 2025 actions after I see what happens to tax residents next year.
I probably will spend January 2025 in Brazil, while I see what happens here.