The Biden Administration’s immigration policies have come under scrutiny again as Eagle Pass, a small border town in Texas, reported a record-breaking surge in migrant apprehensions. According to an inside source within Customs and Border Protection (CBP), more than 1,300 migrants were recently taken into custody on a single day. This exceeds the number of apprehensions in all ten El Paso Border Patrol stations combined on the same day, which totaled 1,100.
“In just one eight-hour shift, more than 700 migrants were taken into custody. We lack the capacity to deal with it. This system is broken,” the source told Breitbart Texas. With a budget of more than six million dollars per month, the town’s only soft-sided processing facility is already overwhelmed, holding more than 3,000 migrants — three times its rated capacity.
Exclusive: Biden Admin Breaks Texas Town’s All Time Record for Migrant Apprehensions https://t.co/UVYFSzvnNn
— lucky one USA. (@stewdude59) September 17, 2023
While the Tucson Border Patrol Sector has been the busiest in recent months, the situation in Eagle Pass is particularly alarming given its small size. The town has a population of approximately 30,000, scant compared to metropolitan areas like Tucson and Phoenix. It’s clear that the system is reaching a breaking point, as stated by the CBP source: “Our facilities are full, the NGO shelters have exceeded their capacity as well, and we are releasing every migrant we can just to stay afloat.”
In contrast to this news, Bob Libal, an immigrant rights and criminal justice reform advocate, focused on the plight of the migrants in an op-ed published this week by The Hill. He criticizes Texas’ Operation Lone Star and claims it “has caused chaos and harm for asylum-seekers” and border communities. Although the humanitarian concerns he raises are worth discussing, the chaos at the border reveals shortcomings on both state and federal levels. Texas has already allocated $10 billion to Operation Lone Star without effectively halting illicit immigration or drug smuggling.
One consequence of the administration’s policies is the mass release of migrants into Eagle Pass due to a lack of resources. Several groups attempted to walk more than 150 miles from the border city to San Antonio after being forced out of charity shelters. The city’s streets are filled with migrants walking aimlessly, begging for money to buy meals or asking for a ride.
As it stands, the Biden administration’s inaction places a disproportionate burden on small border towns like Eagle Pass and puts migrants in precarious situations. The federal government should not merely sit by as Americans and migrants grapple with this chaos. With policies not working as intended, perhaps it’s time for a thorough reevaluation of our immigration strategy.
Whether you see the issue through the lens of national security or human rights, the current situation is untenable. The administration needs to offer more than band-aid solutions to a problem that continues to escalate. Currently, neither border towns nor migrants seem to benefit from the present state of affairs, leaving Americans to wonder: Who exactly is this system meant to serve?
