AUSTIN, Texas — The situation at the U.S.-Mexico border further deteriorated over the weekend as tens of thousands of immigrants crossed the Rio Grande and entered the United States illegally per day, prompting the Biden administration to shut down railroad crossings in Eagle Pass and El Paso.
The federal agency that inspects all people and vehicles at the border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, shut down all railroad crossings in both border communities on Monday morning, infuriating Democratic and Republican lawmakers who represent those regions in Congress.
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“Beginning December 18, 2023, at 8:00 AM local time, CBP’s Office of Field Operations will temporarily suspend operations at the international railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, in order to redirect personnel to assist the U.S. Border Patrol with taking migrants into custody. CBP will continue to prioritize our border security mission as necessary in response to this evolving situation,” CBP said in a statement late Sunday.
“After observing a recent resurgence of smuggling organizations moving migrants through Mexico via freight trains, CBP is taking additional actions to surge personnel and address this concerning development, including in partnership with Mexican authorities,” CBP said. “CBP is continuing to surge all available resources to safely process migrants in response to increased levels of migrant encounters at the Southwest Border, fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals.”
And with one week until Christmas, the situation threatens to upend holiday operations. One Border Patrol agent based in Eagle Pass provided a video to the Washington Examiner from over the weekend that showed immigrants being held in custody in a field due to overcrowding at all regional facilities and tents. Instead, immigrants are held under one of the bridges or in the field.
“It’s been happening DAILY that the processing center shuts down because it’s WAY over capacity,” the agent, who asked to remain anonymous, wrote in a text message. “We should have about 3K under the bridge. Everything is shut down with more to come.”
From this weekend in Eagle Pass, Texas, where the government shut down a bridge crossing to pull customs officers who inspect trains to process migrants who have crossed through the river
Border Patrol agent who shared this video said they expect 3,000 migrant crossings today pic.twitter.com/j6oeOT6oYr
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) December 18, 2023
Lawmakers from border districts were furious about the recent closures, which are the latest in a string of changes by the Biden administration to normal operations due to a surge in illegal crossings in Texas, Arizona, and California over the past several weeks.
“Our entire southern border is being dismantled by the cartels. While mass migrant caravans pull CBP personnel off the front lines, multiple Border Patrol checkpoints have been shut down, allowing contraband & criminals to flow in without resistance,” Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), whose district includes Eagle Pass, wrote on Sunday in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter. “Trade is slowly coming to a standstill & our law enforcement officers are exhausted ahead of a demoralizing holiday season that will keep them working overtime. If there was ever a time to sound the alarm, this would be it.”
Tomorrow morning, rail operations at bridges in Eagle Pass & El Paso will be suspended.
Our entire southern border is being dismantled by the cartels. While mass migrant caravans pull CBP personnel off the front lines, multiple Border Patrol checkpoints have been shut down,…
— Rep. Tony Gonzales (@RepTonyGonzales) December 18, 2023
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), just east of Gonzales’s district, called for President Joe Biden and Congress to “secure the border now.”
“CBP just announced that tomorrow at 8 AM, rail operations at bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, will be suspended to redirect personnel to process migrants. The crisis at our border is seriously affecting legitimate trade,” Cuellar wrote on X Sunday evening.
“This year alone, vehicle and rail operations have been suspended at multiple ports of entry due to an overwhelming number of migrants, worsening delays for truck drivers transporting goods and costing our economy millions,” Cuellar continued. “Our border communities desperately need more federal resources, and we need tougher measures at the border. We must secure the border now.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) also wrote on X that the “disruption of legitimate trade and travel, costing jobs and revenue, is another casualty of the #BidenBorderCrisis.”
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Before Monday, the Eagle Pass International Bridge 1 had already halted vehicle crossings. The Western Hemisphere’s top border crossing, the San Ysidro port of entry in San Diego, California, shut down its pedestrian bridge earlier this month.
Two weeks ago, CBP said it was halting all operations at the Lukeville port of entry in Arizona. Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), and Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) have called for the Biden administration to reopen the port of entry immediately. Late last week, Hobbs activated the state’s National Guard to assist state police at the border.
