The migrant crossings in Eagle Pass, Texas, did not show any signs of slowing on Thanksgiving Day as a single group of more than 600 migrants entered the small border city in the early morning hours. As most American families gathered for a Thanksgiving feast and a day of NFL football, Border Patrol agents were, once again, tied up with processing a large migrant group crossing.
The group of more than 600 migrants was undeterred by the colder temperatures in the region that dipped to 37 degrees Fahrenheit overnight. Concertina wire barriers also failed to deter the migrants who made speedy entry into the heart of the downtown area and quickly surrendered to the Border Patrol. The group consisted of mostly single adult males and females but also included some family units with small children.
Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas informed the public of the crossing via social media and gave thanks to the federal, state, and local law enforcement and first responders working the Thanksgiving holiday. As the Mayor toured an area below the Eagle Pass Camino Real Bridge II, migrants were being accepted by the Border Patrol after making the dangerous river crossing.
The mayor also spoke of the number of migrant drownings in the vicinity of Eagle Pass, which he says stands at nearly 20 during the month. The number of migrant deaths in such a short period has put a strain on local law enforcement and one local funeral home tasked with identifying the remains of those pulled from the murky waters of the Rio Grande.
Thursday’s group of migrants brings the number of crossings just in Eagle Pass to more than 1,300 in less than 24 hours, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection source.
As previously reported by Breitbart Texas, in 2022, local authorities in the small border city found themselves unable to deal with the number of migrant deaths in a short period and were quickly overwhelmed. Currently, the city relies on one funeral home to store the deceased migrant’s remains. It utilizes a refrigeration truck operated by Maverick County authorities as a temporary morgue to aid in the task. The increase in migrant deaths in recent weeks has resulted in a move to bury the remains in a mass grave, as was done in 2022, to keep up with the pace of migrant drownings.
The latest large migrant group crossing into Eagle Pass continues a trend of large single migrant group crossings in recent months. On Wednesday, another large migrant group of nearly 500 mostly Venezuelan and Central American migrants crossed into Eagle Pass in one single group near the heart of the downtown area. The group also managed to breach the existing concertina wire barriers installed by the State of Texas.
The migrants will be transported to a nearby Border Patrol processing facility. Once processed, many will likely be released to pursue asylum claims within the United States. In October, according to CBP, more than 38,000 migrants were apprehended in the Del Rio Sector, the majority of whom crossed into Eagle Pass. The sector currently is the second busiest for migrant crossings into the United States nationwide.
The steady migrant releases of several thousand migrants in cities across the southwest border daily is being felt in large metropolitan sanctuary cities across the United States, struggling to cope with hundreds of migrants in need of shelter arriving daily.
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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