EAGLE PASS, Texas – Congressman Tony Gonzales said he is asking for federal help in curbing a surge of migrant crossings on the Texas-Mexico border.
During a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, Gonzales said more than 10,000 people are being held in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities in Eagle Pass.
He said on Tuesday, about 4,000 migrants crossed from Mexico into Eagle Pass, and another 4,000 people were processed by CBP there. Border Patrol is operated by CBP.
“That is a historic number,” said Gonzales, a Republican whose district includes a massive stretch of the border as well as parts of western Bexar County. “Yet, more people are coming. And there’s more people in the pipeline.”
He added that he is sending a letter to leaders in Washington D.C., specifically Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The letter highlights “the severity of this security gap” and exhausted resources in border communities and law enforcement, he said.
Press conference follows signing of controversial state legislation
Gonzales held the news conference in Eagle Pass in the wake of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s controversial signing of Senate Bill 4.
Abbott signed the border security measure on Monday that allows police in Texas to arrest migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. The law also gives local judges the authority to order migrants to leave the U.S. and return to their home countries.
The law was almost immediately challenged by immigrant rights groups, who say the legislation flies in the face of the Constitution and legal precedents that have long limited immigration enforcement to federal authorities.
When asked by a KSAT reporter at the press conference, Gonzales didn’t directly respond to whether he supports SB 4 and authorizing state and local police to enforce immigration laws.
>>What we know about Texas’ new law that lets police arrest migrants who enter the US illegally
Another bill signed Monday, Senate Bill 3, allocates $1.54 billion for border security operations and the construction, operation, and maintenance of border barrier infrastructure, according to Abbott’s office.
Also on Monday, CBP suspended operations at the international railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso due to what they said was a surge in migrant crossing.
The railways remain closed as of Wednesday afternoon. Gonzales said the suspension has paralyzed economic trade and travel amid the busy holiday season.
“The impact is only getting worse,” he said. “We’re beyond a breaking point.”
In an Instagram post, Juan Bernal, the acting chief patrol agent of the USBP’s Del Rio Sector, said that as of Tuesday night, USBP agents in the Del Rio sector have migrants from 28 countries. The majority of those countries in are Latin America.
Gonzales released this statement on Sunday night:
“Our entire southern border is being dismantled by the cartels. While mass migrant caravans pull CBP personnel off the front lines, multiple Border Patrol checkpoints have been shut down--allowing contraband and criminals to flow in without resistance. Trade is slowly coming to a standstill, and our law enforcement officers are exhausted ahead of a demoralizing holiday season that will keep them working overtime. If there were ever a time to sound the alarm, this would be it. For the sake of our national security, Washington must put politics aside and deliver on policy solutions that fix this border crisis once and for all.”
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