According to a source within CBP, nearly 1,000 mostly Venezuelan migrants living in a makeshift encampment in Juarez surged across the border into El Paso Wednesday night. The migrants were camped out and waiting for an end to CDC Title 42 COVID-19 expulsions. The source says more than 900 are currently being held in Border Patrol processing facilities.
The source, not authorized to speak to media, told Breitbart Texas the chaos began when the migrants received word about a U.S. District Court ruling that ended the practice of expelling certain migrants under the CDC authority. Although the ruling did order the Biden Administration to abandon the practice, the same judge later amended his Tuesday order on Wednesday, granting the government’s request for a stay until December 21, 2022.
The source says the fate of the more than 900 migrants is not known as the current agreement with Mexico to receive the Venezuelan migrants under Title 42 is capped at 200 per day locally. As reported exclusively by Breitbart Texas, the agreement allows for the return of up to 1,000 Venezuelan migrants at five specific locations across the southern border, including El Paso. The source believes many in the group will achieve their goal of release.
The discontinuance of the use of Title 42 carries the potential for devastating consequences at the southern border as other policies and legal mechanisms to quickly remove migrants from the country are no longer available.
The region has been hard hit by the migrant crossings in recent months, resulting in the El Paso Sector taking the top spot for border crossings in October. The sector jumped ahead of the Rio Grande Valley and Del Rio Sectors with approximately 53,000 migrant arrests during the month, up from 14,000 in October 2021.
The City of El Paso awaits a $6 million reimbursement from FEMA for expenses to provide shelter, food, and transportation to the migrants.
The source believes local non-government shelters and a county government migrant facility will be left to care for many of the migrants that were arrested Wednesday night if Mexico does not agree to their return.
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.