A source within Customs and Border Protection says the Border Patrol is facing overcrowding issues again at particular facilities within the Del Rio Sector of Texas. On Monday, more than 400 migrants surrendered in Del Rio alone. The mostly Haitian and Venezuelan migrants are contributing to the overcrowding.
At one facility in Eagle Pass, a soft sided structure was constructed to help deal with the current crisis and has yielded unprecedented migrant traffic levels. The source notes the newer facility is currently 200 percent over the COVID capacity standard.
The facility is more than 300 detainees over its 500-max capacity. Several sites are dealing with COVID-19 positive detainees who need isolation, according to the source.
The current level of apprehensions made in the Del Rio Sector is the highest in 20 years. The sector arrested more than 149,000 migrants since October 2020. The Border Patrol’s Del Rio Sector is second only to the Rio Grande Valley in apprehensions. Del Rio is showing a 500 percent increase in apprehensions over the previous year.
Despite plans by ICE to release single adult Haitian, Venezuelan, and Cuban migrants, the Border Patrol cannot keep pace with the flow of migrants illegally entering the area. In total, Del Rio facilities hold nearly 2,000 migrants waiting final dispositions. In other areas of Texas, the source says Border Patrol facilities are facing the same situation.
In the Rio Grande Valley, more than 4,000 migrants are currently being detained.
On Tuesday, heavy rains offered some reprieve from the mass entry of migrants in Del Rio. The downpours brought water levels in the Rio Grande too high to wade across, slowing entries.
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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