‘We’ve Had Enough,’ Says Texas Border Mayor on Mass Migration Disaster

Eagle Pass, Texas, Mayor Rolando Salinas took to social media this weekend to express his frustration with the surge of migrants flooding into his small city. Describing the constant flow of migrants into the city as an immigration disaster, Salinas chided Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas for visiting Uvalde, Texas — a city 60 miles away from the border region — but failing to visit one of the busiest migrant crossing spots in Eagle Pass during the visit.

In a Facebook video posting, Mayor Salinas described his anger at observing migrant crossings in a residential neighborhood where he lives. The increase in migrant crossings in the city resulted in the closure of the Eagle Pass International Bridge in recent days. The closure of the facility by Mayorkas’ DHS is a blow to the city’s commerce during the holiday season as legal cross-border shoppers from Mexico face increased wait times to visit the border city, likely meaning some will avoid the experience all together.

Salinas describes a group of 200 to 300 migrants being apprehended by the Border Patrol on Sunday evening near his home. Although thankful for the efforts of law enforcement officers in the city, he says the federal government has no plan to deal with the immigration crisis plaguing the city.

As reported by Breitbart Texas, single migrant groups of more than 2,000 have entered the border community in recent months. The migrants are boarding freight trains in Mexico by the hundreds in central and southern Mexico, choosing Eagle Pass as a favorite crossing point over other parts of the southwest border.

According to a source within CBP, not authorized to speak to the media, the Del Rio Sector is currently detaining more than 4,200 migrants. It is more than 200 percent over its physical detention capacity. More than 20,000 migrants are being detained by the agency nationwide.

Eagle Pass is one of two border regions experiencing port-of-entry closures. As reported by Breitbart Texas, the port of entry in Lukeville, Arizona, has also been shuttered to redirect CBP Office of Field Operations personnel to assist the Border Patrol in dealing with the high volume of migrant crossings in that state.

The Border Patrol apprehended nearly 190,000 migrants entering the United States illegally at the southern border in November. The Del Rio Border Patrol Sector, which includes Eagle Pass, is the second busiest border sector for migrant apprehensions, recording approximately 81,000 encounters during the month of November.

Breitbart Texas reached out to Mayor Salinas for further comment. A response is pending as of press time.

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.