The border city of Eagle Pass, Texas saw a record number of migrant encounters at the Southern border on Monday, with Customs and Border Protection officers reportedly being outnumbered 200 to 1. With more than 12,600 people crossing the US-Mexico border in a single day and thousands more waiting at nearby processing centers, authorities are once again warning that the country’s immigration system in being overwhelmed.
According to a statement from CBP officials to Fox News, Monday’s record-setting number of encounters consisted of more than 11,000 illegal immigrants apprehended across the county and over 1,600 who arrived at ports of entry. As of Tuesday, 4,500 immigrants had been processed through the Eagle Pass facility, where an additional 5,300 were already waiting — putting the already overrun system at a staggering 260 percent capacity. The total number of migrants awaiting processing is now equal to one-third of the population of Eagle Pass.
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Amid the unprecedented border surge, CBP checkpoints throughout the state of Texas have been closed, redirecting manpower to Eagle Pass and leaving other communities unpatrolled and vulnerable.
“Every single checkpoint is closed — Uvalde, Carizzo — every single checkpoint is closed and every single border patrol agent is here,” said Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-TX). “Guess where they’re not? In the field stopping bad actors and nefarious goods coming over.”
Additional officers have been dispatched from around the country to further bolster Texas’ facilities—but authorities warn that this still may not be enough.
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The crisis in Texas is mirrored in other border states, including Arizona, where Border Patrol agents encountered 3,000 migrants on Monday alone. Just prior to this, Governor Katie Hobbs deployed the National Guard to border facilities in Tucson and Lukeville, accusing the federal government of failing to take action.
In light of the Biden administration’s apparent unwillingness to address the problem directly, other governors have also taken the responsibility upon themselves.
On Monday, as the Eagle Pass border crossing was overrun, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill declaring illegal immigration a state crime, giving local law enforcement more power to act.
“Four years ago, the United States had the fewest illegal border crossings in decades,” Abbot said while signing the bill. “It was because of four policies put in place by the Trump Administration that led to such a low number of illegal crossings. President Biden has eliminated all of those policies and done nothing to halt illegal immigration. President Biden’s deliberate inaction has left Texas to fend for itself.”
The new law makes illegally crossing the US-Mexico border a state misdemeanor, which allows police to arrest and deport migrants directly. These provisions sparked outrage from Democrats, and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit against the State of Texas to prevent the deportations.
I just don’t understand why these crossings can’t be stopped. Why is Mexico not being held liable?