Texas Border Mayor Fed Up with Government over Migrant Releases

The mayor of a small Texas border town says he is “sick and tired” of the federal government’s failure to fix the illegal immigration problem impacting his community. The mayor’s comments follow months of massive releases of migrants — first from Central America and now from Africa.

Del Rio, Texas, Mayor Bruno Lozano, a Democrat, told staffers from the office of U.S. Senator John Cornyn and Representative Will Hurd during a town hall meeting earlier this week that his municipality has been overrun by illegal immigrants released by Border Patrol officials.

“It is not our purview; it is not our jurisdiction. It is your job to ensure that you convey the frustration that I share with you all to ensure that our representatives at the federal level are hearing it,” Mayor Lozano said. “It’s falling on deaf ears, and we are tired of it. We are sick and tired of the deaf ears.”

The Del Rio Border Patrol Sector, normally one of the nation’s quieter ones, has seen a 1,034 percent increase in the apprehension of migrant families and a 164 percent increase in unaccompanied minors, according to the latest Southwest Border Migration Report issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection earlier this month.

In May alone, Del Rio Sector officials apprehended a total of 8,562 migrants — including 5,272 family units and 571 unaccompanied minors. Many of those are simply released into the community after medical and criminal history screenings due to a lack of facilities for their detention.

Mayor Lozano expressed his frustration to the congressional staffers and stated that U.S. Senators Cornyn and Ted Cruz have not been to his city.

“They need to see firsthand what’s going on. They need to understand the frustrations that the commissioners, or that the city council, the school board, the hospital officials are managing [and] having to deal with,” the mayor explained.

“We’re frustrated. We’re extremely frustrated,” Lozano stated. “Our priorities on the city council are our streets, are our parks, are the economy, are the drive of the community and the places of worship and the places to have leisure activities. It is not the priority to solve immigration.”

In addition to the thousands of Central American migrants apprehended after illegally crossing the border, Del Rio officials are now also dealing with migrants from Central Africa who present a different kind of humanitarian issue.

From May 30 through June 5, Del Rio Sector agents apprehended more than 500 migrants from the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Angola, Breitbart News reported.

“The introduction of this new population places additional burdens on processing stations, to include language and cultural differences,” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul L. Ortiz said in a written statement. “Our agents continue to meet each new challenge as the ongoing humanitarian crisis evolves.”

Mayor Lozano expressed his frustration to the congressional staffers and stated that U.S. Senators Cornyn and Ted Cruz have not been to his city.

Lozano is not alone in his frustrations. In April, Yuma, Arizona, mayor Douglas J. Nichols declared a “state of emergency” following the releases by Border Patrol officials of high numbers of migrants, Breitbart News reported.

“Migrants being released into the community faster than they are departing, and shelters and the staff to run them are at max capacity,” the mayor tweeted. “A state of emergency is declared.”

In New Mexico, Otero County officials also declared a “state of emergency” regarding the massive numbers of migrants being released into their small community of Las Cruces. They called on the New Mexico governor to re-deploy the National Guard to so that Border Patrol agents can re-open interior checkpoints.

“If this demand is not met by the State of New Mexico in one week’s time, the County of Otero will take action itself to provide security and safety and well-being for the people in this county,” Otero County Commission Chairman Couy Griffin said in a statement. “Otero County will also consider litigation in regards to the State of New Mexico failing to follow its constitutional duties towards the people of Otero County.”