EAGLE PASS, Texas — In one single day, one Border Patrol station in the small Texas border town of Eagle Pass apprehended more migrants than all ten stations in the El Paso Sector combined. According to a source within CBP, more than 1,300 migrants were apprehended on Friday in the small border town. This compares to 1,100 for eleven El Paso Border Patrol Sector stations combined. The surge quickly overwhelmed a local Border Patrol processing facility and the ability of non-government (NGO) shelters to accommodate the surge.
The source, not authorized to speak to the media, told Breitbart Texas the number of migrants crossing into the city in one single day broke any record kept by the agency. “In just one eight-hour shift, more than 700 migrants were taken into custody” the source explained. “We lack the capacity to deal with it. This system is broken.”
Group of migrants pushed away from NGO shelter in Eagle Pass. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
In the only soft-sided processing facility that operates on a budget of more than six million dollars per month, the number of migrants detained exceeded 3,000. The number of migrants being held, according to the source, is more than three times its rated capacity.
The source says the surge has prompted the Border Patrol to conduct mass releases into the Texas border town. On Saturday, Breitbart Texas witnessed several groups of migrants leaving a charity shelter and attempting to walk from the border city to San Antonio, Texas — a trek of more than 150 miles. The migrants told Breitbart Texas they were forced out of the shelter due to capacity issues and because they lacked the funding to purchase bus tickets on their own.
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The Tucson Border Patrol Sector has been the busiest border sector in recent months, as reported by Breitbart Texas. The sector is comprised of nine stations that, on Friday, apprehended 1,600 migrants, according to the source. The number represents a minor lead over the 1,300 apprehended in Eagle Pass on the same day. The resources available to the Texas border city of a mere 30,000 residents pales compared to the larger metropolitan areas of Tucson and Phoenix.
The source says the system has reached a breaking point. “We have no other option but complete surrender at this point,” the source lamented. “Our facilities are full, the NGO shelters have exceeded their capacity as well, and we are releasing every migrant we can just to stay afloat.”
Migrants leaving Eagle Pass afoot to San Antonio, Texas. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
As Breitbart Texas moved throughout the city, migrants could be observed leaving the only non-government shelter, Mission Border Hope. The migrants are leaving the city with no funds to purchase bus tickets or fly out. The city’s streets were awash with migrants walking aimlessly, asking residents for a ride or money to purchase meals.
Several groups of migrants spoke to Breitbart Texas and said the NGO shelter, Mission Border Hope, would not help the migrants unless they had funds to purchase bus tickets to leave the facility. The cost, according to the migrants, was $50.00 to travel to San Antonio, located more than 150 miles from the border city.
The Border Patrol, according to the source, releases migrants to the shelter in lieu of releasing straight onto the streets of the city. According to the source, the agency hopes to avoid adding to the homeless population and expects the shelter to accommodate the migrants’ travel to the interior of the United States.
“We had no knowledge that the poorest of migrants would be thrown out on the streets and expected to walk more than 150 miles to the next largest city, but that is where we are,” the source emphasized.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.