EAGLE PASS, Texas (NewsNation) — Eagle Pass, Texas observed record-breaking levels of illegal crossings on Monday, with more than 4,000 migrants crossing into the area in a single day, with an additional 4,000 migrants in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody. Border Patrol agents have described this to NewsNation as the worst migrant surge they’ve ever experienced in Eagle Pass.
NewsNation’s drone captured images of thousands of migrants waiting to be processed by Border Patrol agents, as large groups of more than 100 migrants crossed into Eagle Pass throughout the day, overwhelming agents and resources. Many of the migrants arrived on Sunday.
Eagle Pass was experiencing an average of more than 2,000 illegal crossings per day before the number doubled on Monday.
Deterrence and prevention has been frustrating for agents on the ground as those looking to enter the country use more unconventional tactics. Migrants from around the world are flocking to the U.S. border via freight trains, for instance.
Sources in Mexico told NewsNation that Mexican officials in central Mexico are conducting operations on fright rains, removing migrants en route to the U.S. border. Despite these efforts, the continuous influx of migrants to Eagle Pass has not slowed down.
On Monday, CBP suspended international railway crossing in El Paso and Eagle Pass for the first time to redirect agents to assist in processing migrants.
Union Pacific responded to the decision, urging the bridges be reopened “immediately,” writing, “Roughly 450,000 rail shipments move across these two gateways annually. These locations represent 45% of cross-border Union Pacific business and include goods critical to the U.S. economy.”
Several railroad associations have also called for the immediate reopening of both rail crossings.
“The urgency of reopening these crossings and restoring rail service between the two nations cannot be overstated,” AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies said in a news release. “There are not separate U.S. and Mexican rail networks; there is only one interconnected North American rail network. Every day the border remains closed unleashes a cascade of delay across operations on both sides of the border, impacting customers and ultimately consumers.”
“Closures will disrupt legal trade, commerce, and retail. This is a big mistake for CBP and timing couldn’t be worse,” the Texas Association of Business wrote in a post on X, formally known as Twitter.