The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) temporarily suspended operations at international railway crossing bridges in two Texas cities amid increased levels of migrant encounters at the border.
The bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso were to be closed at 8 a.m. on Dec. 18 to redirect personnel to assist with taking migrants into custody, the agency said in a press release.
It said the measures were taken due to “a recent resurgence of smuggling organizations moving migrants through Mexico via freight trains.” CBP also partnered with Mexican authorities to curb illegal border crossings.
“CBP is continuing to surge all available resources to safely process migrants in response to increased levels of migrant encounters at the Southwest Border, fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals,” the release stated.
The agency pledged to prioritize U.S. border security in response to this “evolving situation.”
“Over the past several weeks, CBP has made a number of operational adjustments in order to maximize our ability to respond, process, and enforce consequences. In Eagle Pass, vehicular processing remains suspended at Eagle Pass International Bridge.
“In San Diego, California, San Ysidro’s Pedestrian West operations remain suspended. In Lukeville, Arizona, the Lukeville Port of Entry remains closed,” CBP added.
U.S. border authorities encountered more than 142,000 migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in the first half of September, according to data shared by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
‘Continuous Groups’
Footage on social media showed a long line of migrants at the Eagle Pass crossing. News Nation said there were about 2,000 migrants spotted at the checkpoint on Dec. 18.
The U.S. Border Patrol said on Dec. 15 that over the past couple of weeks, it had encountered “continuous groups of migrants led by misinformation making illegal entry into the United States.”
“Rumours circulating on social media that areas between the ports of entry on the southwest border—BSI 36 in the El Paso Sector—are open to illegal migration are patently false,” the agency said in a press release.
“The flow of migrants has been continuous since then and at one point the number of migrants staging at BSI 36 rose to approximately 150 people.
“This group was mostly composed of single adults and but also including families with children, mostly of Venezuelan origin,” it added.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) said rail operations have been suspended at multiple ports of entry due to “an overwhelming number of migrants, worsening delays for truck drivers transporting goods and costing our economy millions.”
“Our border communities desperately need more federal resources, and we need tougher measures at the border. We must secure the border now,” he stated on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Dec. 18.
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) has called on the Biden administration to “put politics aside” and “deliver on policy solutions that fix this border crisis once and for all” in order to ensure national security.
“Trade is slowly coming to a standstill (and) our law enforcement officers are exhausted ahead of a demoralizing holiday season that will keep them working overtime. If there was ever a time to sound the alarm, this would be it,” he stated on X.
Meanwhile, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) has ordered the National Guard to the Lukeville Port of Entry and the San Miguel crossing to tackle border issues, citing lack of action from the Biden administration.
“Yet again, the federal government is refusing to do its job to secure our border and keep our communities safe,” Ms. Hobbs said in a press release on Dec. 15.
Ms. Hobbs also requested the federal government to reimburse the state for over $512 million in costs incurred as a result of “federal border inaction.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
