Photos: Migrant Border Crossings Continue Unabated in Texas as New Fiscal Year Begins

Eagle Pass, Texas — As the federal government begins a new fiscal year, migrant border crossings and apprehensions immediately began to climb. As Breitbart Texas watched, border crossings in the nation’s busiest sector continued unabated. Within a few short hours Saturday morning, nearly 300 migrants had already been apprehended near Eagle Pass, Texas.

Shortly after midnight on Saturday, a single migrant group of nearly 200 migrants managed to safely ford the Rio Grande and surrender to authorities in Texas, according to a source within CBP. The group of migrants, mostly Venezuelan, Nicaraguan, and Cuban nationals were among the first to cross into the United States in the brand new Fiscal Year 23. The unabated crossings are a continuation of back-to-back record-breaking years for migrant apprehensions under the Biden administration.

A migrant family crosses the Rio Grande from Piedras Negras, Mexico, to Eagle Pass, Texas on the first day of Fiscal Year 21. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)

As Breitbart Texas stood watch along the border on Saturday morning, the crossings continued as smaller groups crossed the river into Eagle Pass in a steady stream. Those crossing near the downtown area of the city consisted of mostly family groups expecting a quick release into the United States.  According to the CBP source, not authorized to speak to the media, most can expect just that, a chance to pursue their chance at asylum inside the United States.

The source told Breitbart the migrant apprehension rate in and around the city of Eagle Pass at times alone is more than 1,500 per day. The increase in migrant traffic makes Eagle Pass the busiest area in the Border Patrol’s Del Rio Sector. The source believes the crossings will continue unabated as migrants cross in large numbers and surrender to authorities immediately.

After safely crossing the Rio Grande near where dozens drowned in FY22, the migrant family is detained by Texas National Guardsmen under Operation Lone Star. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)

In FY 2020, Border Patrol agents in the Del Rio Sector apprehended slightly more than 90,000 migrants for the entire year. That number skyrocketed in FY21 to 260,000. As of Friday night at midnight, Del Rio Sector agents apprehended more than 48,000 for the just-ended FY22.

According to the source, without viable avenues to return the migrants to their home country, there is little chance the situation along the border will change.

Another group of migrants sit patiently while they wait for an available Border Patrol agent to transport them for processing and likely release into the U.S. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)

“Our hands are tied, for most of those migrants from Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba, we just can’t return them,” the source stated. “The word spread long ago that they will be released, and they are taking advantage of the opportunity while it lasts.”

Although the source says many will not show up to their asylum hearings, those that choose to do so face an extensive wait for their day in court. There is a current backlog of nearly two million immigration cases facing administrative judges as the fiscal year closes out. According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a Syracuse University research group that tracks the immigration court backlog nationwide, there are more than 370,000 pending immigration cases for Venezuelan, Cuban, and Nicaraguan migrants as the fiscal year closed out.

The existing immigration backlog ensures migrants crossing today from these three countries will not have their cases heard in a judicial proceeding anytime soon.

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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