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Over the past few days, a large number of migrants have made their way from Mexico to Eagle Pass and El Paso. Both cities are facing challenges in providing shelter for the newly arrived individuals, as immigration authorities are processing and releasing many of them into these border cities.
In Eagle Pass, Mayor Rolando Salinas Jr., signed an emergency declaration on Tuesday night to allow the city of about 30,000 to get state resources and funding to handle the number of migrants being released by immigration officials. He told The New York Times that on Wednesday as many as 2,500 migrants crossed into Eagle Pass.
Salinas emphasized to the Times the importance of additional assistance and funding, stating that the closure of the bridge results in continuous financial losses for them.
According to government data, federal agents encountered an average of 817 migrants daily in the Del Rio sector, encompassing Eagle Pass, during the month of July.
In a statement released on Wednesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the temporary closure of one of the three international bridges to traffic. The closure aimed to facilitate assistance from agents in processing hundreds of migrants, who were predominantly held beneath one of the bridges connecting Eagle Pass and Mexico.
The statement declared that, in light of the increased number of encounters, all possible resources will be deployed to efficiently and securely handle migrants. It emphasized taking strict actions against individuals lacking legal grounds to stay in the United States. Furthermore, the CBP pledged to maintain focus on its border security mission and adapt as needed to address the changing circumstances.
In a recent social media post on Wednesday night, Chris Olivarez, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety, announced that the mayor has authorized the arrest of migrants crossing the river into Shelby Park, including state troopers.
“Due to the unprecedented influx of illegal immigrants crossing between the ports of entry, DPS Troopers & @TXMilitary will regain control, support local, county, & federal authorities, & maintain an enforcement posture,” Olivarez wrote.
The mayor in June declared the park private property to allow state troopers to arrest migrants for trespassing. But that decision came under intense criticism after a DPS medic told his superiors that troopers had been ordered to push migrants back into the river and deny them water, and that the razor wire installed along the riverbank by the state had seriously injured migrants.
In July, the mayor, along with the rest of the city council, voted to revoke the decision. Salinas Jr. did not provide a comment when requested by the Tribune on Thursday.
Following the expiration of Title 42, an emergency health order employed by immigration officials to reject numerous migrants at the border, there was a significant decrease in the number of apprehensions. However, over the past weeks, there has been a sharp increase in the number of apprehensions.
According to CBS News, which cited unpublished federal government data, immigration officials on average made 6,900 apprehensions per day along the southern border in the first 20 days of September — a 60% increase from the daily average in July.
The scenes at the border this week are reminiscent of a similar influx of migrants two years ago in Del Rio, where immigration officials struggled to process 15,000 migrants, many of them Haitian. It took officials nearly a week to process or deport most of the migrants, who were held under an international bridge for days.
In El Paso, city officials have opened an emergency overflow shelter to prepare for a rapid increase of asylum seekers being released into the city by federal agents. The city is also looking to buy a vacant middle school building to use it as a shelter.
A large number of migrants traveled on cargo trains from either Mexico City or Chihuahua to reach the border.
Ferromex, the biggest rail operator in Mexico, recently halted 60 train runs in northern Mexico due to migrant injuries while attempting to board the freight cars. This week, approximately six injuries were reported by Ferromex.
The Biden administration introduced a series of policies to prevent migrants from illegally crossing the border as it prepared to terminate Title 42. Title 42, which was implemented by the Trump administration at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to halt asylum seekers from entering the country, is now being phased out.
The government’s CBP One cell phone application has requested migrants to schedule appointments, but many have reported that the available slots fill up rapidly. Additionally, some migrants have expressed that even after obtaining an appointment, they are compelled to endure weeks or even months in perilous Mexican border cities before they can officially seek asylum.
The Biden administration made an announcement on Wednesday night, stating that Venezuelans who arrived in the U.S. on or before July 31 will now be eligible for temporary protected status. This program, approved by Congress in 1990, enables undocumented individuals to obtain a work permit and delay deportation for a period of 18 months.
According to Department of Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, temporary protected status safeguards individuals within the United States from deportation if the circumstances in their home country make it unsafe for them to return. However, it is important for Venezuelans to comprehend that those who arrived in the US after July 31, 2023, will not qualify for this protection. Instead, they will face removal if it is determined that they lack a legal basis to remain in the country.
Yuralber Alvarado, aged 36, recently arrived in El Paso along with her husband, his brother, and mother, after leaving Venezuela earlier this month. Currently, she is situated outside a hotel where the city of El Paso is utilizing federal funds to accommodate some of the migrants. Yuralber mentioned that they spent a month in Ciudad Juárez attempting to secure an appointment on the CBP One app, but unfortunately, all the slots were booked before they could secure one. Thankfully, a generous El Paso resident extended their hospitality by offering the family a spare room until they could establish themselves.
She mentioned that her family intends to travel to Denver once they acquire the necessary funds for the trip.
Alvarado claimed to be employed as a special education teacher in a public school, yet her meager monthly salary of $8 proved insufficient for her survival. Despite her opposition to the government’s policies, she felt compelled to participate in pro-government demonstrations due to her status as a public employee.
According to her, the government’s declaration of freedom holds no true significance.
Karina, a 44-year-old woman from Ecuador, sat outside a hotel alongside one of her grandchildren. She expressed her reluctance to disclose her last name due to concerns that the men who had threatened her husband might seek revenge. Their family ran a modest water purification business, which attracted the attention of gang members. Initially, they demanded a “safety fee” of $500 from her husband. However, the situation escalated as the gang members started demanding $2,000 every month. When her husband refused to comply, they resorted to leaving threatening notes at their home, warning that they would kill him unless he paid.
She stated that during a night in August, their home was targeted by someone who threw a Molotov cocktail.
She stated, “Our situation was cozy; there was no pressing need for us to relocate. However, the level of peril became unbearable, compelling us to depart.”
Across the street, a young couple from Venezuela lingered in a parking lot with their 2-year-old daughter, who was playing with a toy car. The couple declined to give their names, but said that they had been trying to make an appointment on the CBP One app as they trekked north toward the U.S.-Mexico border. When they got to Juárez and they still didn’t have an appointment, rather than sleep on the streets they said they decided to cross the Rio Grande and surrender to Border Patrol agents.
“The only thing we want is to locate a sleeping spot temporarily, until we can escape from this place,” expressed the wife.
Disclosure: The New York Times has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
