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An influx of migrants to a Texas border town killing local pets, stealing from stores and knocking on doors late at night has prompted residents to buy more guns to defend themselves.
The Del Rio portion of the border at Eagle Pass, Texas, has met more than 376,000 migrants since October 2021, according to Customs and Border Protection, which is double from the previous year.
An Eagle Pass resident said she taught her children to use tasers and other weapons to defend their family business.
“It’s something that had to happen because we don’t know what could happen,” said Laura Ramos Fox news. “We don’t know these people or where they come from.”
Another resident said his youngest sister heard a knock on her bedroom window late at night.
“It’s pretty scary,” he said. “We’re already getting used to it, because unfortunately nothing is really being done about it.”
Eagle Pass, Texas residents have decided to arm themselves after a recent influx of migrants into the border town
The Del Rio portion of the border, which includes Eagle Pass, has doubled the number of migrant encounters from the previous year to more than 376,000 since October 2021
The city has three official border crossings, although the main entrance to the city is the nearby Rio Grande. has been
The city has three official border crossings on its western edge, although locals say migrants continue to cross the nearby Rio Grande.
An Eagle Pass business owner said she is now closing her business at 7 p.m. because she employs an all-female staff.
“We’re closing at seven now because it’s getting dark, people are walking around, all girls, you never know,” she said.
She added that she now has “multiple weapons” in the store to defend her employees.
A resident living outside the center said migrants are flocking to farms to steal food.
“I live far from downtown, but in that area there are a lot of ranches, a lot of big properties,” they said.
They added that they were aware of some migrants entering a property “and to steal something they killed the dogs”.
“They’re like robbing stuff or killing animals for food,” they said. “That’s what worries me.”
Residents of Eagle Pass, the influx of migrants has led to the killing of local animals and an increase in theft
With so many migrants trying to cross the Rio Grande to Eagle Pass, the city is also experiencing an increase in drownings. Fire chief Manuel Mello says the city is doing daily body recovery
One resident says they have adapted to the migrants in their city: ‘We are already getting used to it because unfortunately nothing is being done about it’
A local known as ‘Cesar’ said incoming migrants have started to leave rubbish on ranches, while ‘many migrants also die in the river’.
“All those things affect the city,” Cesar said.
Eagle Pass Fire Chief Manuel Mello said the city is recovering the body of the river on a daily basis, an experience he described as “very traumatic.”
“So many bodies are being recovered that the undertakers are asking for help,” Mello said. “I had never seen so many drownings as now.”
Mello added that when he joined the fire service 25 years ago, the city would recover an average of 12 bodies a year. That average has risen to 30 per month.
“Sometimes you walk in an area where the water never gets above your knee, but all of a sudden you have a fall of about 10.12 feet,” he said.
“When you carry a baby, you go down 10 or 12 feet with that baby.”
El Paso is experiencing its own recent influx, leaving many migrants sleeping on the city streets
El Paso’s deputy city manager said the city has been in contact with the White House to work on a solution
The city recently approved funding for a new center to alleviate the problems. Once migrants are released from border patrol, they now head downtown instead of directly into the city
Recently, Vice President Kamala Harris noted problems at the country’s border.
“The border is secure, but we also have a broken immigration system, especially for the last four years before we came in, and that needs to be fixed,” Harris said.
“We have a safe border in the sense that that is a priority for all nations, including ours and our government, but there are still many problems that we are trying to solve given the deterioration that has taken place over the past four years.”
Ricardo, who owns a food truck in Eagle Pass, said, “The situation is out of control.”
“I understand that we have to close our borders because if we don’t do anything, more people will come, and those people will suffer,” he said.
Vice President Kamala Harris recently addressed issues at the border: ‘The border is safe, but we also have a broken immigration system, especially the last four years before we came in and it needs to be fixed’
An Eagle Pass resident said he doesn’t expect any change: ‘I understand we have to close our borders because if we don’t act, more people will come, and those people suffer’
El Paso’s deputy city manager Mario D’Agostino says his city has contacted the government directly to combat similar issues.
“We have communicated directly with the White House,” he said. “We’ve talked about some of the needs we see in our community and we need to continue to help with that.”
The city, also a border town opposite Ciudad Juarez, has recently been hit by a wave of migrants sleeping in tents on downtown streets.
D’Agostino added that the city wants to be in touch with customs and border guards so that it can be better prepared for another influx of migrants.
El Paso County Commissioners approved a funding source on Sept. 12 to set up the city’s own processing center — which could be used to mitigate any incoming problems.
Through this new center, migrants released from customs and border patrols would be sent to the center instead of directly to the city streets.