DEL RIO, Texas — Breitbart Texas was provided video by Congressman Tony Gonzales’ (R-TX) staff showing the mostly Haitian migrants being held in a makeshift detention camp under the Del Rio International Bridge. The head count now stands at 9,000, according to a source within Customs and Border Protection.
The video shows migrants leaving the river after crossing illegally into Del Rio from Ciudad Acuna. In the Thursday footage, migrants can be seen entering the Rio Grande from Mexico to make landfall and enter the camp.
Congressman Gonzales visited the camp on Thursday and relayed the following to Breitbart Texas:
I am at the southern border every week, and this is worse than anything I have ever seen. The Del Rio community and our border patrol agents are doing everything they can, but they are at a breaking point. The only way this crisis ends is with a policy change from the White House.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, the large groups of mostly Haitian migrants were entering at a pace of 800-1,200 per eight-hour shift. Local community leaders and law enforcement officials have expressed concerns about health and safety conditions at the camp due to poor sanitation and lack of sufficient law enforcement personnel in the area to provide adequate security for the migrants.
The groups consist of single adults and families with small children. The Border Patrol is overwhelmed in the area as community resources cannot deal with the sudden major influx of mostly Haitian migrants.
Mexico has attempted to hold back the Haitian, Cuban, and Venezuelan migrants in the southern state of Chiapas. Clashes have resulted between the migrants and Mexican immigration authorities. The government is withholding immigration travel documents and requires the migrants to remain near Guatemala while their refugee claims are processed.
The efforts in Mexico have thus far failed to stem the flow of the migrants as hundreds are making landfall hourly.
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.