The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s Office of Field Operations temporarily suspended railroad operations in Eagle Pass and El Paso Monday morning as illegal aliens continue to flood the southern border.
“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,” the CBP said in an announcement Sunday.
The office also stated that after the CBP noticed a recent resurgence of migrants being smuggled through Mexico on freight trains, it will be taking action to “surge personnel” to decrease the number of smuggling operations in conjunction with the Mexican government.
Nevertheless, reports from Eagle Pass show thousands of illegal border crossers awaiting processing as CBP struggles to deal with the sheer numbers.
“[A]gents say the Del Rio Sector is overwhelmed, all Border Patrol checkpoints there are closed as everyone is being pulled for transport/process—The facility there that is meant for 1k is currently holding nearly 5k people—The overflow are waiting under the bridge… I am told it is more than 1k,” News Nation Correspondent Ali Bradley reported Sunday following the CBP announcement.
The CBP noted in its press release that it will continue to prioritize its border security mission as the crisis continues.
“We continue to adjust our operational plans to maximize enforcement efforts against those noncitizens who do not use lawful pathways or processes such as CBP One™ and those without a legal basis to remain in the United States,” CBP stated.
Earlier this month, CBP suspended vehicle processing in Eagle Pass. Similarly to the suspended railroad operations, CBP aimed to redirect border patrol agents to facilitate the surge in illegal alien encounters.
The suspension affected northbound operations. Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas Jr. released a statement last week opposing the continued suspension, saying it “has an overall adverse economic and financial impact” on the city.
Texas Scorecard has not received comments from CBP or Gov. Greg Abbott’s office.
