Cheering and holding hands as they waded through waist-deep water, this is the astonishing moment a group of 100 migrants crossed the Rio Grande.
The crowds flowed past Border Patrol boats that tried to stop them before being allowed through a barbed-wire thicket on the U.S. side after a standoff that lasted more than four hours.
Eagle Pass, Texas, has been flooded with migrants in recent days, with more than 7,500 people pouring into the small town of 28,000 on Monday and Tuesday alone.
In response, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered thickets of razor wire to be placed along the banks of the river – after which President Biden demanded that it be cut down.
The boxing abbot subsequently had it replaced and doubled, but will now have to repair the makeshift barrier for a second time after the migrant group was allowed through due to concerns for their well-being in the scorching 101-degree heat on Saturday.
This is the astonishing moment a group of 100 migrants crossed the Rio Grande
Some babies were carried by National Guard and Border Patrol personnel, who took the babies from their exhausted mothers as they struggled up the bank.
Eagle Pass, Texas, has been flooded with migrants in recent days, with more than 7,500 people pouring into the small town of 28,000 on Monday and Tuesday alone.
Although the flow of migrants into Eagle Pass has slowed dramatically in recent days, some large groups are still arriving.
The 100-strong crowd had arrived in Piedras Negras on the Mexican side early Saturday morning and headed to an unshaded island in the middle of the river.
Exclusive photos from DailyMail.com show the group was involved in a standoff with Border Patrol and National Guard boats, which circled and blocked them as they tried to cross.
Then, after two hours, the migrants rushed forward together and crowded onto a bank on the American side, where they refused to move for another two hours as they tried to find a way through the Abbot’s barbed-wire fence – despite being told repeatedly that they had to go back. .
After nearly four hours in the river and on the bank, guards were finally forced to cut the barbed wire and allow the group to pass due to concerns for their welfare.
A local law enforcement source told DailyMail.com that the decision was made due to the fiery heat at the border and the long time the group spent in the open.
Although largely male, a handful of Venezuelan and Nicaraguan migrants included women and children – some of whom looked unwell and dehydrated by the time they were allowed into the US.
Some babies were carried by National Guard and Border Patrol personnel, who took the babies from their exhausted mothers as they struggled up the bank.
The 100-strong crowd had arrived in Piedras Negras on the Mexican side early Saturday morning and headed for an unshaded island in the middle of the river.
Exclusive photos from DailyMail.com show the group was involved in a standoff with Border Patrol and National Guard boats circling and blocking them as they tried to cross
The migrants rushed forward together and crowded onto a bank on the American side, where they refused to move for two hours as they tried to find a way through the barbed wire.
After nearly four hours in the river and on the bank, the guards were finally forced to cut the barbed wire and allow the group through due to concerns for their well-being.
Although largely male, a handful of Venezuelan and Nicaraguan migrants were women and children
Many of the women and children looked unwell and dehydrated by the time they were allowed into the US
The migrant group was the second major arrival of the day and came after another group of 100 crossed the river early Saturday morning.
Photos from DailyMail.com show the group beaming as they waited in line before being processed under the Camarillo Real International Bridge.
Abbot has spent most of the week fulminating about the new wave of migrants in Eagle Pass and El Paso, telling Fox News on Wednesday that the Biden administration is “obstructionist.”
He said, “We have a president who is thwarting Texas, which is trying to do our best to stem the flow of illegal immigrants by building our own border wall, by putting up these barbed wire barriers and not allowing people to pass, by the National Guard to ensure that we repel migrants trying to enter the country.
‘And what do we have? Joe Biden is interfering with my efforts to secure the border. “I have never seen a president flout the laws of the United States as much as Joe Biden, and I have never seen anyone hinder a governor who is actually trying to limit illegal immigration into our country.”
Abbot spoke as tiny Eagle Pass, a border town of 28,000, was overwhelmed by a huge influx of migrants — with more than 7,500 people pouring in Monday and Tuesday.
That flood has now become a trickle, with just 800 arriving on Friday and even fewer on Saturday – despite the resumption of freight train services that had been temporarily halted in an attempt to ease the flow.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered barbed wire thickets to be planted along the banks of the river – after which President Biden demanded it be cut down
Abbot has spent most of the week fulminating about the new flow of migrants in Eagle Pass and El Paso, accusing the Biden administration of being “obstructive.”
Photos from DailyMail.com show the group of migrants waiting in line before being processed under the Camarillo Real International Bridge
The Texas Division of Emergency Management has chartered a fleet of buses to take groups of migrants to other states
The trains, nicknamed “The Beast,” are popular with migrants who see hitchhiking as a cheap and easy way to reach the U.S. border.
Todd Bensman, a border expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, explained: “Eagle Pass is an easy place to get to from further south by freight rail, freight train. So of course it’s a place where people go.
“And then there’s also been a lot of success for families, immigrant families, to get into the country if they can get past the Texans.
“The Texans are kind of a problem for them, but they’re finding that they can still get to the Border Patrol pretty easily.
“Once they reach the Border Patrol, they’ll let them into the country in a day or two.”
Most of the earlier arrivals have now been rescheduled, with the Texas Division of Emergency Management chartering a fleet of buses to take them to other states.
Eagle Pass is now one of the starting points and Abbot says that, along with similarly overwhelmed El Paso, is a priority.
The majority of buses have gone to the northeast. Since April 2022, 14,000 migrants have been sent to New York, 11,900 to Washington DC and 8,700 to Chicago.
Buses full of migrants have also been arriving in Los Angeles since June 14, with 610 sent to the City of Angels so far.