MATAMOROS, Tamaulipas — Mexican immigration agents sat around a nearby migrant camp and watched as thousands of migrants crossed into Texas. The migrants used inflatable mattresses and makeshift rafts to cross the Rio Grande.
Breitbart Texas traveled to a migrant camp in the border city of Matamoros where thousands of migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, and Central America camped out with the original expectation of being able to cross through a port of entry to file an asylum claim in the United States. Near the camp, agents with Mexico’s National Migration Institute stood by and watched the migrants but made no effort to stop anyone from reaching the river and crossing the border into Texas.
Breitbart Texas observed how a group of Venezuelan migrants used rubber mattresses and makeshift rafts to cross groups of migrants into Texas for a fee. This week, U.S. Border Patrol officials have reported a dramatic spike in illegal crossings into Brownsville, Texas, with more than 1,600 migrant apprehensions in that station in one day, Breitbart Texas reported.
While U.S. authorities have been overwhelmed and understaffed, on the Mexican side, INM agents have been at the camp while migrants have been crossing but stood by and have not interfered with the crossings. Breitbart Texas attempted to contact INM for comment on the situation, but the institute did not respond. As Breitbart Texas reported, INM has been plagued with allegations of corruption. Most recently, the agency’s commissioner and several agents become the target of an investigation in connection with a deadly fire in Ciudad Juarez where 40 migrants died and dozens sustained injuries.
The large number of migrants who have been crossing into Brownsville without paying the Gulf Cartel have caused tensions with the criminal organization. As Breitbart Texas reported, last week, Gulf Cartel members set fire to various tents at the migrant camp and threatened some for collecting fees in exchange for helping other migrants cross. The attacks from the Gulf Cartel led to hundreds of migrants rushing one of the ports of entry in an unsuccessful attempt to cross into Brownsville.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.