(NewsNation) — Blocked from entering the United States but afraid to turn back to Mexico, many migrants at the southern border are stuck on the banks of the Rio Grande river, going days without food or water.
The migrants aren’t on U.S. soil, so Border Patrol won’t pick them up, but cartels and other dangers are waiting for them if they turn around.
While encounters along the southern border have dropped in the last month, officials in Eagle Pass, Texas, say migrants continue to try to cross in that area.
However, the Texas Department of Public Safety has placed barbed wire along the river bank to deter migrants from stepping on Eagle Pass land.
Migrants told NewsNation smugglers in Mexico have threatened them, stolen their money and even held children for ransom. One group on the banks of the river said they’ve gone three days without food and water.