EAGLE PASS, Texas — Despite a law enforcement presence on both sides of the Rio Grande, a CBP source says more than 600 migrants were apprehended after entering the United States on Thursday.
The source says the arrests in Eagle Pass accounted for more than 50 percent of the apprehensions within the Del Rio Sector that day.
Breitbart Texas/Randy Clark
A rescue team in Mexico, “Grupo Beta,” patrolled the river periodically in an airboat as troops with the Mexican National Guard watched. The Mexican National Guard, known as “La Guardia Nacional,” had little apparent impact.
Breitbart Texas/Randy Clark
On the United States side of the Rio Grande, Border Patrol agents performed similar marine activities.
Texas National Guard troops standing along a makeshift wall of shipping containers watched over the river and took migrants into custody. Soldiers waited with family units until Border Patrol transports arrived.
Breitbart Texas/Randy Clark
One unaccompanied migrant child walked through a gap in the Texas border wall currently under construction. The wall is nearing completion, however, gates along roadways have yet to be installed. A Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol trooper spotted the youth and turned the migrant over to Border Patrol.
In a revolving door fashion, Border Patrol agents made several trips to the Eagle Pass International Bridge to return mostly single adult migrants to Mexico under the CDC Title 42 Emergency COVID-19 order. The source says these scenarios are playing out daily and have challenged the agency’s ability to keep up with the constant flow.
Breitbart Texas/Randy Clark
The source says there are no “off days,” meaning the flow of migrants is constant. The source says the Rio Grande Valley still maintains a firm lead in overall apprehensions.
The migrant crossings are occurring in the downtown area and more remote ones around the city. The constant flow is creating a sense of frustration among residents by the lack of a coherent federal response.
Recently, nearly 200 migrants crossed the Rio Grande near Normandy, Texas, in one single event north of Eagle Pass. The larger groups are mostly Venezuelan, Cuban, and Nicaraguan migrants.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
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