EAGLE PASS, Texas — Border Patrol was forced to release migrants directly onto the streets of Eagle Pass as non-governmental migrant shelters reached capacity and closed for the New Year's Day holiday. Most of the migrants were huddled outside local transit companies trying to get out of the small border city quickly. The transit hub is just a block from the official port of entry, which has been closed for weeks due to the recent border surge that has hit the small community of 30,000 residents.
Breitbart Texas posted near the transit hub and spoke to several freed immigrants walking in the heart of downtown Eagle Pass. A migrant woman who was walking on the sidewalk with her two young children said she could not afford to pay for transportation to leave the city and said a local non-governmental shelter, Mission Border Hope, could help her. I hope that. Guadalupe, a 30-year-old Venezuelan national, said she wanted to head to Chicago to meet a friend who entered the United States a few weeks ago.
Guadalupe said she left Venezuela after her divorce to take care of her two sons, who are under the age of five. Although migrant arrivals have slowed in recent days, Border Patrol is still dealing with the aftermath of a surge that apprehended more than 22,000 migrants in the third week of December. The Border Patrol says the release is a last-ditch effort to relieve overcrowding at its processing facility near Eagle Pass and surrounding Border Patrol stations in the Del Rio area, which includes Eagle Pass.
Nearly 1,500 migrants are being released each day, most of them in non-governmental migrant shelters, said a CBP official who was not authorized to speak to the media. When shelters reach capacity or close for the holidays, migrants are released directly into the streets. City officials say it costs the city's fire department more than $20,000 each day to provide emergency medical care to migrants, many of whom quickly leave the border city for other parts of the United States. .
The decision to close the city's international bridge in late November also has a negative impact on local businesses that rely on legal border crossers to boost sales during the holiday season. Waiting times to cross the border at the city's only open port of entry are reported to be 10 to 12 hours. Long wait times have deterred many legitimate border crossers from traveling to Eagle Pass from neighboring Mexico's Piedras Negras, a city of more than 200,000 people.
Nearly 1,500 migrants being released each day in just one border town bodes badly for the many sanctuary cities far from the border that are struggling with the costs of providing shelter and care for migrants. Less than a week ago, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson held a joint video press conference with New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Denver Mayor Mike Johnson, announcing plans to cover the costs of increased immigration. He reiterated his appeal to the Biden administration for more funding for the project. arrival.
According to Chicago Mayor Johnson, the city is currently providing shelter to 15,000 immigrants. Despite a recent city ordinance banning buses carrying immigrants without proper coordination with the city and imposing a $3,000 fine for violations, an estimated daily Johnson said 500 migrants arrived on illegal buses.
During the press conference, Johnson directed his anger at the state of Texas, saying:
Texas bus operators continue to intentionally break the law by ignoring regulations meant to ensure the safety of asylum seekers arriving in Chicago. To date, 95 buses have been charged with violating the ordinance, two buses have been impounded, and three buses have been issued with ANOV (Administrative Notice of Violation) for illegally dumping sewage.
Guadalupe, a Venezuelan mother of two who was released from Eagle Pass on New Year's Day, told Breitbart Texas that she wanted to reach Chicago as soon as possible despite the cold weather. “There is nothing better than Venezuela at the moment. What do we have to lose?” she stressed.
randy clark He is a 32-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as Division Chief of Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol stations within the Del Rio, Texas area. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
