CBP suspends operations at two rail bridges into Texas amid migrant surge

Eagle Pass witnessing 2,000 daily illegal migrant crossings via freight trains
CBP temporarily suspends freight railway crossings in Eagle Pass, El Paso
The measure aims to assist Border Patrol in taking migrants into custody

Updated: Dec 18, 2023 / 11:40 AM CST

EAGLE PASS, Texas (NewsNation) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) temporarily suspended railway operations at the international railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, amid a surge in migrants traveling from Mexico to the U.S. border aboard freight trains.

The operational closures, which started Monday at 8 a.m. local time, aim to redirect personnel to assist the U.S. Border Patrol in taking migrants into custody, the CBP announced in a news release Sunday.

CBP has further suspended vehicle processing from Mexico at Eagle Pass International Bridge 1. Sources told NewsNation that agents from nearby checkpoints were also reassigned to assist in processing the substantial influx of migrants crossing into Eagle Pass daily.

Thousands of migrants are utilizing freight trains to reach southern Mexico, with areas like Monterrey serving as departure points, resulting in a staggering average of over 2,000 illegal crossings per day in Eagle Pass this month.

NewsNation’s border team reported from Piedras Negras, just across the border from Eagle Pass, observing multiple groups of migrants crossing the Rio Grande without intervention from Mexican officials.

Migrants were seen climbing over shipping containers and navigating concertina wire to surrender themselves to Border Patrol.

The Eagle Pass processing center, with a capacity for about 1,000 migrants, is currently holding nearly 5,000 migrants.

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, responded to CBP’s announcement, stating, “The crisis at our border is seriously affecting legitimate trade. This year alone, vehicle and rail operations have been suspended at multiple ports of entry due to an overwhelming number of migrants, worsening delays for truck drivers transporting goods and costing our economy millions.”

Cuellar joins a growing list of Democrats critical of President Biden’s handling of the border crisis.

Gov. Katie Hobbs, D-Ariz., has deployed the National Guard to the Arizona border to address the migrant surge, emphasizing that the state is stepping in where the federal government falls short.