Thousands of migrants are overpowering Border Patrol personnel as they wait in rows side by side in southern border communities around the United States.
According to figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, around 7,900 migrants were detained every day last week on the southern border, up from a standard of 6,000 per day in October. Above 10,500 migrants entered the country on Tuesday; almost 4,000 of them entered the Del Rio region of Texas, which spans a 245-mile section of the Rio Grande River. It was possible to witness women and kids squeezing through extremely sharp concertina wire to request refuge. As they awaited processing, the migrants at one temporary staging area in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Wednesday were not, legally speaking, within the jurisdiction of the US Border Patrol.
The Controversial Senate Bill 4
Republican Texas governor Greg Abbott added to the problem on Monday when he signed Senate Bill 4, a contentious bill, into law. It would allow sheriff’s deputies and Texas State Public Safety troopers to prosecute and arrest anyone who crosses the border illegally if it takes effect in March.
“The objective of Senate Bill 4 is to halt the flood of unauthorized immigration into Texas,” Abbott declared during a border signing event in Brownsville. “Senate Bill 4 recently became law in the state of Texas.” Eagle Pass is part of Maverick County, and its sheriff, Tom Schmerber, claims his border village lacks the personnel necessary to implement SB4. Regarding the migrant problem, Schmerber stated, “It’s taken away resources from the security that we’re supposed to be doing here in the county.” We have no desire to do it. Furthermore, it will not be feasible.”
A lawsuit was launched on Tuesday against the state of Texas by some civil rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, in an attempt to halt SB4. The groups contend that immigration enforcement is the province of the federal government, not the state. The complaint states that the state is “grasping control over emigration from the federal government and preventing people subject to that system of all of the legal protections and due process that Congress provided to them, including the capacity to contest removal and seek asylum.”
There seems to be ambivalence about the desperation of law enforcement authorities as the immigration issue intensifies. A mother is seen trying to cross the swiftly flowing Rio Grande while clutching a little kid in a frightening video from last week. She calls out for assistance once again, telling state troopers and the Texas National Guard nearby that she is exhausted and doesn’t want to drown, but they do nothing. A CBP airboat also flies past the location quickly. She eventually returned safely to the Mexican side.
The National Guard in Texas declared that it was “aware of the recent video depicting a woman and a child near the Mexican shoreline pleading for assistance.” After approaching by boat, Texas National Guard soldiers saw that the individuals were able to walk the short distance back to the Mexican side and showed no symptoms of injuries or medical difficulty. To keep an eye on things, the troops stayed on the scene.”
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