Migrant crossings from Mexico up nearly one third in December with 167,000 stopped so far as even DEMOCRAT congressman in Texas calls for tougher measures to ‘secure the border now’
The Biden administration is now closing legal ports of entry along the US-Mexico border as large numbers of migrants seek to enter the country, drawing condemnation from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Over the weekend, Customs and Border Patrol suspended cargo crossings in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, to shift workforces to handle rising numbers of migrants. Vehicle and pedestrian crossings at ports in San Ysidro, California, Lukeville, Arizona, and Eagle Pass, Texas have also been closed in recent weeks.
The closures come as the number of arrests of illegal migrants has already increased by 30 percent in December compared to November. Last month there were 130,000 attempts to illegally cross the US-Mexico border in the first 17 days of the month and so far in December there have been 167,000 attempts, according to NewsNation.
But a top Democrat is warning that shuddering at his state's ports of entry is “severely harming legitimate commerce” in the days leading up to Christmas.
Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar blasted the Biden administration, saying “our border communities desperately need more federal resources, and we need stronger measures at the border.”
In this aerial view, immigrants, many wearing mylar blankets provided by the U.S. Border Patrol, try to stay warm after spending the night outside a processing center near the U.S.-Mexico border on December 18, 2023
The Biden administration is now closing legal ports of entry along the US-Mexico border as large numbers of migrants seek to enter the country, drawing condemnation from both sides of the aisle
“We need to secure the border now,” Cuellar continued.
Publicly available figures from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) show that border agents handled approximately 188,778 border crossings in October – a 14 percent decrease from September. DHS declined to comment on the figures.
Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz also ripped into the port closures.
“Frankly, we need to increase the flow of commercial traffic between the U.S. and Mexico, and I have led the fight in Congress to remove unnecessary barriers and build new international bridges,” he said in a statement.
“Instead, this administration is prioritizing the processing of illegal aliens and won't even man the bridges we already have.”
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, Tenn., also blamed Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas.
“Because Secretary Mayorkas is failing to secure the border, CBP is shutting down legitimate trade and the flow of goods across the border just before Christmas. As more and more CBP agents are assigned to assist illegal aliens into the interior, it is impossible for CBP to keep up with commercial activity,” he said in a statement.
This month, there were 167,000, according to NewsNation. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) declined to comment on this month's figures
Publicly available DHS figures show that border agents handled some 188,778 border crossings in October — a 14 percent drop from September
More than 1,000 migrants wait in line to be processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico on December 18, 2023
The number of border apprehensions in December has already increased by 30 percent compared to November
The Senate, meanwhile, is involved in high-stakes negotiations that would combine aid to Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region with new border security provisions.
One idea being considered is to allow Homeland Security officials to stop migrants from seeking asylum at the southern border if the total number of crossings in a day exceeds 5,000.
Border agents are overwhelmed after the total number reportedly exceeded 10,000 illegal aliens entering the U.S. through the southern border in one day last week.
Earlier last week, CBS reported that the White House was open to establishing a Title 42-style border authority to expel migrants without asylum screening and expand immigration detention and deportation in exchange for the foreign aid.
Another is detaining people seeking asylum at the border, including families with children, and negotiators have been looking for ways to quickly remove migrants who have been here less than two years and have not sought asylum.
Major immigration reforms have not been codified into law since 1986 with the Immigration Reform and Control Act.