‘Large Groups’ of African Migrants Illegally Crossed Texas Border, Say Feds

Border Patrol agents in the Del Rio Sector encountered their second large group of African migrants illegally crossing the border near Eagle Pass, Texas, on Saturday. This group of 37 African migrant families, followed quickly behind a group of 116 African migrants who crossed on Friday.

Eagle Pass Station agents patrolling the border on June 1 near Eagle Pass arrested a group of 37 illegal immigrants from the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The group illegally crossed the border from Mexico by crossing the Rio Grande. According to information obtained from Del Rio Sector officials, the group consisted almost entirely of family units that included several small children.

“We are continuing to see a rise in apprehensions of immigrants from countries not normally encountered in our area,” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul L. Ortiz said in a written statement. “Groups of family units from around the world are traveling thousands of miles just enter the United States illegally to exploit our immigration laws.”

One day earlier, agents assigned to the Del Rio Station apprehended another group of African family migrants. This group consisted of 116 migrants who crossed the Rio Grande late Friday night.

“Large groups present a unique challenge for the men and women of the Del Rio Sector,” Chief Ortiz said. “This large group from Africa further demonstrates the complexity and severity of the border security and humanitarian crisis at our Southwest border.”

Breitbart News reported two weeks earlier that large groups of African migrants had gathered along the U.S.-Mexico Border near Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, and that they had become impatient with waiting to legally cross the ports of entry to make asylum claims.

The large group of African men, women, and children held their ground near a Mexican customs office. Mexican officials eventually spoke with the group to explain the situation. Some of the migrants held a private meeting with Mexican customs officers. The group claims they are unable to meet with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. They claim that Cuban migrants are being given preferential treatment.

The apprehension of Cuban migrants illegally entering the U.S. in the Del Rio Sector from Mexico jumped more than 1,600 percent during the first seven months of this year, Breitbart News reported.

“Migrants seeking entry into the United States need to present themselves at a Port of Entry to be lawfully admitted,” Del Rio Sector then-Acting Chief Patrol Agent Randy Davis said in a written statement. “This recent trend in the Del Rio Sector area of responsibility of Cuban Nationals crossing the border illegally between the POEs highlights the complexity of the immigration problem and the need for an immediate solution.”