This week, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) announced that cargo processing at the Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) connecting Ciudad Juarez and El Paso will be halted so officers can process the influx of illegal immigrants crossing the border.
“The temporary suspension at BOTA will allow CBP’s Office of Field Operations officers to assist the U.S. Border Patrol in processing noncitizens who have arrived between the ports of entry including vulnerable populations like families and unaccompanied children,” a press release from the agency stated. “CBP regularly plans for and executes contingency measures, such as this, to support the overarching agency mission and ensure the safety and wellbeing of those in the agency’s custody.”
According to the New York Post, Mexican drug cartels have been encouraging illegal immigrants to head to the border to overwhelm operations. El Paso, specifically, has reportedly seen up to 1,700 people a day handing themselves over to Border Patrol. This week, the Post reported there were 4,600 in CBP custody there.
Operations at El Paso border entry point suspended so officers can help with migrant surge: CBP https://t.co/sNk5oeUnxe pic.twitter.com/A4mVM063tA
— New York Post (@nypost) September 20, 2023
“During the suspension of service members of the trade community may consider the nearby Ysleta, Santa Teresa, or Marcelino Serna (Tornillo) cargo facilities as alternative entry points,” CBP’s press release said. “The agency will work to return normal operations as quickly as feasible.”
On Tuesday, the El Paso Times reported that members of the Texas National Guard ordered hundreds of illegal immigrants seeking asylum in the United States to go back to Mexico. The migrants reportedly breached concertina wire and began forming a line along the border fence.
“They were forcing us back and yelling,” a Venezuelan woman named Helen told the outlet. “There were some who didn’t want to leave and still they were screaming that we had to get out.”
KOMO News reported on Monday that hundreds of illegal immigrants from Venezuela were spotted at the El Paso-Mexico border.
“Border Patrol officials said that members of the group crossed the U.S.-Mexico boundary line and made an illegal entry into the US, officials said,” the report stated, pointing out that many of the members of the group were “single adult males.”