EAGLE PASS, Texas (NewsNation) — The mayor of Eagle Pass issued a local disaster declaration on Wednesday, calling for more resources as thousands of migrants were expected to arrive at the southern border.
Border Patrol officials tell NewsNation that roughly 4,000 arrived Wednesday and, at one point, the line stretched five miles long and into Mexico.
Mayor Rolando Salinas says the declaration will be in place for a week — unless extended.
“There has been a situation the last couple of days where we have gotten an influx of immigrants crossing through Eagle Pass. And it has taken a toll on our local resources,” said Salinas. “I’ve been getting a lot of calls from our constituents, and they get worried — they see a lot of a lot of people in our community. But it is my understanding that some of these people, they don’t want to be there. So they’re leaving (the shelters), and they’re on our streets, and I understand the concerns of a lot of people.”
Eagle Pass is part of a Border Patrol sector that has seen the second-highest number of migrant crossings this fiscal year with about 270,000 encounters, though that is lower than at this time last year, according to the Associated Press.
NewsNation has reached out to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for comment.