Some 1,000 immigrants crossed the border through El Paso in one night. This is one of the largest mass entries in recent years in this time frame. Most of them were Nicaraguan nationals, so Title 42 does not affect them and they cannot be directly sent back, increasing the problem of overcrowded refuge areas in the area. The authorities expressed their concern and stressed that this is a taste of what is to come if Title 42 is finally repealed on December 21.
BREAKING: A huge migrant caravan of over 1,000 people crossed illegally into El Paso, TX last night, making it the largest single group we have ever seen. The city of El Paso reports Border Patrol now has over 5,000 in custody & has released hundreds to city streets. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/ewUQX757Lt
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) December 12, 2022
Nearly 2,500 immigrants per day
Over the weekend, according to El Paso Border Patrol Chief Peter Jaquez, some 2,460 immigrants arrived in the United States each day through this area. Sunday night's mass crossing was one of the largest that the town has experienced in such a short period of time. At this moment, according to authorities, more than 5,000 people are crowding the Border Patrol processing center in El Paso, which has had to be assisted by agents from nearby districts.
In fact, the authorities are forced to release many of these migrants right away due to the overcrowding of their own facilities and NGO detention centers. Last Sunday, reporters from The New York Times reported that many of these people congregated at the bus station for the night and slept under cardboard in near-freezing temperatures. In October alone, El Paso recorded 53,000 encounters between agents and immigrants, the highest number in the entire border area.
Breaking! Over the weekend, the El Paso Sector experienced a major surge in illegal crossings, with a 3-day average of 2,460 daily encounters, primarily through the downtown area of El Paso. We will continue to keep the public informed as the situation evolves. pic.twitter.com/V2pOO6Y31N
— Peter Jaquez (@USBPChiefEPT) December 12, 2022
Mexico escorts 20 buses to the border
Fox correspondents reported that 20 buses were escorted by Mexican police to Ciudad Juarez, the city bordering El Paso, on Sunday. There, they were handed over to non-governmental organizations, where they did not remain for long. Shortly thereafter, journalists saw these people leaving the places where they were dropped off and rushing across the border forming long lines to cross the river and be processed by the Border Patrol. They even obtained the video that one of the bus passengers recorded of the journey to the United States.
NEW: These are @FoxNews images from El Paso, TX & Eagle Pass, TX in the last 24 hours.
CBP sources tell us more than 4,800 migrants have crossed illegally in just these two sectors in last 24 hours.
Obama DHS Sec. Jeh Johnson said 1,000 per day *nationwide* would be a “crisis”. pic.twitter.com/rKOj1Tcpkj— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) December 10, 2022
"It's straining resources"
"The numbers are like nothing I’ve seen for the last 25 years," Blake Barrow, director of the El Paso Rescue Mission told The New York Times. Like most shelters in the area, theirs is "bursting at the seams" as migrants continue to arrive who cannot be returned immediately. "Honestly, I don’t know how to address this problem, the situation is overwhelming us," he confessed.
Speaking to Fox News, Mario D'Agostino, El Paso's deputy city manager, said the situation "is unsustainable" and warned that the worst is yet to come. "We're talking about Title 42 being lifted and what that would do here in the community. We have to be cognizant with the fact that it's already here. Look at the vast numbers increased in the past couple of weeks, especially the last three, four days. Those numbers are unsustainable, and that is with Title 42 in place."
Democratic State Senator Cesar Blanco also spoke about the situation in El Paso: "We’re feeling it. It’s straining resources." Blanco also asked the state and federal governments to send humanitarian aid to address the crisis in the area.
