EAGLE PASS, Texas — The banks of the Rio Grande were flush with Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Texas Army National Guard posted locally. Simultaneously, soldiers in patrol boats traversed the Rio Grande hoping to deflect migrant crossings away from the city. Thursday’s show of force appeared to push the larger migrant groups away, at least temporarily.
Breitbart Texas looked on as DPS troopers placed vehicles side by side to block gaps in a “steel curtain” border wall installed under Operation Lone Star. Despite the efforts, some smaller migrant groups moved down river and still chose to ford the river.
The smaller migrant groups immediately surrendered to soldiers. The migrants were ultimately turned over to responding Border Patrol agents.
Eagle Pass has seen an increase in migrant apprehensions in recent months and now leads the nation as the border city with the most migrant crossings. As reported by Breitbart Texas, nearly 700 migrants forded the Rio Grande on Sunday within hours.
The Del Rio Sector currently leads the nation in migrant crossings. Most migrants choose Eagle Pass. The increase in migrant traffic has brought about a corresponding increase in migrant deaths. So much so, that a funeral home contracted to receive decedent migrants has reached capacity and can no longer accept them.
According to a source within CBP, more than 2,000 crossed within the Del Rio Sector on Wednesday, most near Eagle Pass. The large migrant groups consist of Venezuelan, Cuban, and Nicaraguans exempt from immediate return to Mexico. The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says the majority are released to a charity shelter in the city where travel arrangements to other parts of the United States are coordinated.
The continued flow of migrants is not without impact to cities far from the border. Most of the migrants released in Eagle Pass find their way to San Antonio, the nearest transit hub. The steady migrant traffic has led to overcrowding in that city at a migrant resource center regularly at 200 percent capacity.
The issues plaguing the shelter have resulted in pleas by San Antonio officials to federal authorities to limit the daily number of migrants sent to the city.
In addition to Thursday’s show of force at Eagle Pass, efforts by Texas officials to quickly move migrants out of the state has also frustrated leaders in Washington, D.C. and New York.
Since April, Texas has transported more than 6,800 migrants to D.C. and at least 800 to NYC.
Since the launch of Operation Lone Star in March 2021, Texas law enforcement authorities and Texas Army National Guard soldiers have apprehended more than 292,700 migrants.
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.