VIDEO: Hundreds of migrants atop train arrive in Juarez
Migrants cross border illegally and surrender to agents, officials say
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — Hundreds of migrants arrived atop a train at the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday.
Video shows dozens of migrants atop each of the covered box hoppers as the train arrives in south Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas.
Since Saturday, hundreds of migrants have been gathering in Juarez and lining up along the border wall in hopes of surrendering to U.S. Border Patrol agents.
U.S. Border Patrol officials told Border Report that there are at least 500 migrants directly south of the border wall, adding that those people crossed the border illegally to get there. The center of the Rio Grande is the international boundary.
Border agents say most of the migrants are from Venezuela and include adult males and family units, and will be taken to a U.S. Border Patrol processing facility and processed accordingly.
The U.S. Border Patrol has repeatedly warned that migrants are being processed under Title 8. Those without a legal basis to be in the United States face immediate removal from the country, and those evading apprehension, repeat offenders, and those engaging in smuggling efforts face prosecution and a five-year ban.
“Migrants should not listen to the lies of smugglers and make the dangerous journey, only to be sent back,” Border Patrol officials said in a statement. “When migrants cross the border illegally, they put their lives in peril.”
On Friday, El Paso city officials said they anticipated a spike in migrants after federal officials release them, and they expressed concern that the city did not have enough space.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection also announced that it will suspend the processing of commercial cargo to assist with migrants at the Bridge of the Americas in South El Paso.
According to the City of El Paso’s Migrant Situational Awareness Dashboard, as of Monday, the number of daily migrants encounters has shot up to over 1,200. Additionally, 4,129 people were in CBP custody in El Paso.
In recent weeks, shelters in El Paso have been working at capacity, John Martin, deputy director of the Opportunity Center, recently told Border Report, referring to three organizations – the Opportunity Center, Sacred Heart Church and the Rescue Mission – that make up El Paso’s Downtown shelter network.
The city’s dashboard says theres were 562 migrant releases, however, there were no street releases as of Monday.