US to suspend rail operations on the southern border due to migrant surge
By Rosa Flores and Sara Weisfeldt, CNN
(CNN) — US Customs and Border Protection will temporarily suspend operations at the international railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, due to a surge in border crossings by migrants, the agency announced in a news release Sunday.
The CBP said the operational closures to redirect personnel to process migrants will start Monday.
“CBP will continue to prioritize our border security mission as necessary in response to this evolving situation,” the agency said.
Border authorities apprehended nearly 3,000 migrants in Del Rio, Texas, and around 1,300 migrants in El Paso on Sunday, straining federal resources, according to a Homeland Security official. Eagle Pass is in the Del Rio Border Patrol Sector.
In the past few weeks, the Biden administration has closed ports of entry to either vehicular or pedestrian crossings in Eagle Pass, Texas; Lukeville, Arizona; and San Ysidro, California, CNN previously reported.
In the first 14 days of December, more than 37,000 migrants were apprehended in the Tucson Border Patrol Sector alone – which includes Lukeville, according to John Modlin, the sector’s chief patrol agent.
The CBP says the migrant surge is being driven by misinformation orchestrated by transnational criminal organizations and cartels.
“After observing a recent resurgence of smuggling organizations moving migrants through Mexico via freight trains, CBP is taking additional actions to surge personnel and address this concerning development, including in partnership with Mexican authorities,” the CBP press release read.
Border authorities apprehended about 192,000 migrants between ports of entry in November, a 2% increase compared with the 188,000 migrant apprehensions in October, US Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens told CNN in an interview.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this report.
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