In Eagle Pass, Texas, 14,000 migrants from Honduras or Venezuela have crossed the Rio Grande, which separates the United States from Mexico, in the last 24 hours.
Security officials have suspended cargo crossings at Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, to reallocate staff to deal with the growing number of migrant arrivals. Vehicle and pedestrian crossings at San Ysidro ports , California, Lukeville, Arizona, and Eagle Pass, Texas, have also been closed in recent weeks. Authorities believe the situation could “degenerate at any time”.
Congressional Republicans are demanding changes to the immigration system in exchange for any help for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs.
Texas Republicans are increasingly challenging the U.S. government’s authority on immigration, saying President Joe Biden’s administration is not doing enough to police the country’s southern border.
The state has also experimented with a whole series of measures to deter people who cross the border illegally as part of its Operation Lone Star, including the deployment of National Guard troops at the border, blocking migrants with deadly barbed wire and the installation of a floating barrier on part of the Rio Grande.