Stories of migrant caravans and unchecked illegal border crossings have been common throughout the Biden administration, but one incident impacting the small town of Eagle Pass, Texas, is particularly alarming.
According to reports, more than 700 migrants crossed the Rio Grande in a single group and walked up to a nearby highway early Thursday morning before ultimately surrendering to Border Patrol agents. It is believed to have been the largest assembly of undocumented migrants to arrive at the location.
Eagle Pass is part of the Del Rio Sector of the border, which has been the location of almost 90% of all large groups encountered by border agents thus far this fiscal year.
The group was more than seven times the size at which border patrols would classify it as a “large group.”
The majority of those detained were from Cuba and others came from Nicaragua, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Ecuador, and Mexico. Nearly half of the group consisted of single men, another 200 were single women, and the remainder were either family groups or unaccompanied minors.
After surrendering, the migrants were transported to a processing facility and, as previous actions would suggest, most will seek asylum and will be allowed to essentially go free in the U.S. as their respective cases play out in court.
While this group was especially large, it represented just a drop in the bucket compared to the rate at which illegal immigration is impacting border communities. The week ending Dec. 3, for example, saw almost 10,000 border apprehensions in the Del Rio Sector alone — and well over 4,000 additional immigrants escaped detention.
TX: Border Patrol sources tell me at least 13 agents per shift are being diverted from Del Rio Sector Border Patrol stations to assist in Eagle Pass.
Agents say the soft-sided facility is holding 2,300+ migrants vs the “normal” 1,300.
This as sectors in AZ also see an uptick.
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) December 9, 2022
Last month, border agents working in the sector apprehended roughly 48,000 undocumented immigrants.
Earlier this year, Rio Grande City Mayor Joel Villarreal explained the effect that it is having on residents of his community.
“I had a conversation this morning with individuals that had immigrants in their backyards and yes, we are having an influx of immigrants and it’s affecting our municipalities,” he said.
The mayor went on to assert that locals “are concerned” and the issue has created “a divide” regarding how it should be addressed.
“Do I handle this as a humanitarian standpoint or do I handle this with a risk of threat or harm?” Villareal asked.
