MISSION, Texas — Video taken by Townhall shows illegal immigrants who had just crossed the Rio Grande walking toward a site Border Patrol had set up under the Anzalduas International Bridge to help expedite the processing of the hundreds of migrants who have been turning themselves in.
In the video, groups of migrants start to break apart, with the unaccompanied minors walking by themselves, as the "safety in numbers" midset is no longer needed. The processing site has food, water, and medical services for the illegal aliens.
The video, taken in mid-March, provides a small window into the processing site that reporters have been unable to visit since the Biden administration has put Border Patrol facilities on lockdown and kept the press out during the migrant surge. It was not until late March when the overcrowded facility in Donna, Texas, was finally opened to the press so photos and video could be taken of the conditions inside.
The area by the international bridge is a hotspot for illegal foot traffic, and it is not uncommon for Border Patrol agents to encounter more than 700 people in one ten-hour shift. During Townhall's trip to the area in mid-March, around 263 illegal immigrants walked by to go toward the processing site.
In nearby La Joya, Texas, no such processing area exists, leading to a more disorganized collection point. Oftentimes Border Patrol consolidates the migrants at a baseball park so they can wait for a BP bus to pick them up.
Border Patrol is now processing 300+ individuals who illegally crossed into the U.S. near La Joya. pic.twitter.com/I4s3lFPL23
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) March 27, 2021
Former Acting Customs and Border Commissioner Mark Morgan said during a press conference on Tuesday that there will be at least 150,000 apprehensions for the month of March, with more than 1.4 million apprehensions for the calendar year. Morgan further called for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to "stop lying" to the American people because the border is not secure.
