EAGLE PASS, Texas — Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol troopers intercepted a large group of migrants Wednesday just after they crossed the shallow Rio Grande River north of Eagle Pass, leading troopers to arrest a total of 124 migrants from various countries in a surprising turn of events along the Texas border during an election year that had been sluggish.
Some of this group will face criminal charges from state authorities for trespassing violations, while the rest will likely be released to pursue their asylum claims, according to sources within CBP.
The large group of migrants crossed the Rio Grande in the late afternoon near the small town of Normandy, Texas, about 16 miles north of Eagle Pass. Breitbart Texas reported that the area was once known for frequent large-scale migrant crossings, but numbers have declined since increased enforcement efforts in Mexico during an election year significantly slowed the flow of migrants arriving at the U.S. border.
According to a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety's Highway Patrol, the group included one adult female immigrant of Iranian nationality, Masoumeh Fouladlou, who falls into the category of a special interest immigrant under Department of Homeland Security criteria, prompting further investigation by the department's intelligence experts.
The spokesman said 27 migrants from Brazil, Peru, Honduras, Colombia and Ecuador were taken to the state's Val Verde Processing Center in Del Rio to face charges of trespassing. The rest of the migrants, including migrant families and 22 unaccompanied children, were handed over to Border Patrol for processing and removal.
According to a source within the CBP, unaccompanied migrant children will be processed and sent to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which will find sponsors in the US to care for them while they apply for asylum. The Border Patrol has apprehended more than 519,000 unaccompanied migrant children under the Biden-Harris administration.
A CBP source who was not authorized to speak to the media said some of the group of migrants arrested Wednesday will likely be released to local non-government shelters to apply for asylum in the U.S. Since October, more than 237,000 migrants have been apprehended after entering the country by Border Patrol in the Del Rio sector, which includes Normandy.
Randy Clark Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as Chief of the Law Enforcement Operations Division, where he led operations for nine Border Patrol stations in the Del Rio Sector, Texas. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
