The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has temporarily suspended international railway crossings in Eagle Pass and El Paso to redirect staff for processing the surge in migrants at the Southwest border. CBP aims to safely process migrants, countering the spike in illegal crossings facilitated by smuggling organizations using freight trains. Nearly 3,000 migrants were apprehended in Eagle Pass and around 1,300 in El Paso over a recent weekend, many from Venezuela.
The rail crossing suspensions, which began at 8 am on Monday, reflect the U.S. and Mexico’s last-resort strategy to manage migration surges. This disruption impacts trade significantly, with U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D – Laredo) highlighting the economic cost due to suspended vehicle and rail operations at multiple ports of entry.
The Biden administration is concurrently negotiating with Senate Republicans on stricter immigration controls linked to foreign aid discussions for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Human rights groups have criticized tying immigration policy to foreign aid.
Additionally, Texas Governor Abbott is set to sign a bill allowing state arrests of migrants crossing between ports of entry, challenging federal immigration law limits. This move comes amidst record-breaking apprehensions at the U.S-Mexico border, exceeding 2.4 million in the last fiscal year.
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