The crisis at the southern border has been a major headache for the Biden administration for a couple of years now. Every day, thousands of migrants pour into the United States.
To stem the growing backlash and restore some order, the Biden administration has shut down the railroad crossing in two Texas communities effective Monday morning, December 18, 2023.
“Beginning December 18, 2023, at 8:00 AM local time, CBP’s Office of Field Operations will temporarily suspend operations at the international railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas,” read the statement announcing the closure.
Eagle Pass and El Paso are two of the worst-hit border communities in the Lone Star state. Texas itself has been the biggest entry point and a battleground for the Biden administration and the republican state government.
Also Read: Arizona Town Closes Border Indefinitely Amid Increasing Migrant Crisis
The closure of activities at the railroad crossing intends to solve two challenges. First, it will put a stop to the activity of smugglers who use freight cars to traffic migrants across the border.
According to a statement from migration authorities, there has been a “resurgence of smuggling organizations moving migrants through Mexico via freight trains.”
The railroad crossing is one of the oldest ways traffickers move their “clients” into the country. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have intercepted numerous railroad shipping containers with migrants inside.
Second, the move allows the CPB to deploy the railroad crossing staff to assist in processing an already overwhelming army of migrants searching for asylum. Footages of immigrants camped on the open field and under the bridge in Texas have gone viral on the internet. Border personnel are grossly understaffed compared to the number of migrants they need to process.
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Texas isn’t alone. Border States such as Arizona and California have had to deal with an unprecedented influx of migrants. Many of whom are seeking refuge and a better life.
California’s city of San Diego had to cease pedestrian traffic at its San Ysidro port of entry earlier in the year. Also, the port of entry in Lukeville, Arizona, was shut down to stem the pouring of migrants.
The CBP credits the recent resurgence in migrant numbers to disinformation from smugglers. Furthermore, these criminals have been spreading the news that the government is welcoming migrants between legal ports of entry, says the agency.
Moreover, the closure hasn’t ended well with the community’s political leaders, Democrats and Republicans. Notable amongst this group are Texas congressmen worried about the shutdown’s economic costs.
Also Read: Abbott’s Lone Star Operation: Nearly 500,000 Immigrants Apprehended
“Our entire southern border is being dismantled by the cartels,” says U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican. “Trade is slowly coming to a standstill & our law enforcement officers are exhausted ahead of a demoralizing holiday season that will keep them working overtime,” the congressman wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
However, another congressman, this time Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar, has called on the Biden administration to step up and “secure the border now.” The closure is set to deplete the state’s revenue, which relies heavily on the income from railway transport taxes.
Recently, Democrat politicians fed up with the situation, have joined their republican counterparts in calling for stiffer border security measures. Hopefully, the Biden administration will heed the call and solve what is now popularly known as the “BidenBorderCrisis.”
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