Drug cartels swarming the border are deliberately sending thousands of migrants a day to surrender to Border Patrol agents in different US border cities, sources told The Post.
The tactic is intended to tie up already overworked border agents so Mexican cartels can conduct their drug and people-smuggling operations undisturbed in sparsely populated areas, law enforcement officials explained.
A group of 2,200 migrants surrendered to officials in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Monday morning, according to Fox News, which showed video of migrants lining up in blocks to be processed by the Border Patrol.
Nearly 500 miles away at the westernmost tip of the state, El Paso has also seen a surge in immigrants in the past week.
Sources there said on Thursday alone about 1,700 migrants were found in 24 hours and every day since several groups of migrants numbering in the hundreds have lined up along the border wall to surrender to officials and claim asylum in the US.
Since Friday, large groups of hundreds of people have turned themselves in to Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas. Luis Torres/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The mass surrenders were prompted by cartel lies including about the Biden administration’s CBP One application to schedule immigration appointments, several enforcement sources told The Post.
“They are spreading false information that anyone waiting for a CBP One appointment can turn themselves in and get asylum,” a source revealed.
Up to 500 mostly Venezuelan asylum seekers lined up in El Paso Monday to cross into the US, according to local TV station KVIA.
A mix of single adults and families have crossed the border illegally but hope to stay in the US while their asylum cases are heard, a process that usually takes years.
“CBP is aware of reports that criminal organizations in the El Paso, Texas/Juarez, Mexico area are spreading falsehoods and putting the lives of immigrants at risk for their own financial gain,” the parent agency of the US Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection said. The Post in a statement.
“These rumors are completely false and another dangerous example of bad actors sharing bad information. Borders are not open to illegal immigration.”
City data showed more than 4,000 people were in Border Patrol (CBP) custody in the city on Monday.
“The way it is organized through the cartel, I believe it is intended to overcome the system. The [places] the most affected are the border communities,” former El Paso City Councilwoman Claudia Rodriquez told The Post.
Border Patrol agents are already getting help from cargo screening agents who have been pulled from their regular duties to help deal with the wave of migrants, US Customs and Border Protection said.
The immigrants are mostly Venezuelans hoping to apply for asylum in the US.Luis Torres/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The explosion of migrants arriving in El Paso also triggered the opening of emergency migrant shelters at the recreation center.
On Friday, city leaders were reluctant to commit to opening the shelter, opting instead to house hundreds of immigrants released by CBP in hotel rooms.
Across the southwest border, a total of 9,400 migrants crossed into the US in a 24-hour period. That nearly matched the record-setting week in May before the government changed rules for migrants crossing into the US, which saw more than 10,000 people flood into the country each day.
Migrants have also been seen walking along busy roads and highways, while others work to collect enough money to buy plane or bus tickets out of town.
“The other day I saw a kid, maybe 10 and 12, trying to sell bottled water, candy on the street,” Rodriguez said.
“That’s not common in El Paso. We don’t see children working or asking for money. That’s like third world country stuff.”
The city of El Paso is opening an emergency migrant shelter, turning a recreation center into housing for hundreds of migrants, officials told The Post.therealfitfamelpaso/Instagram
The cartels have fueled unrest in the city before, sparking rumors of the border opening to all in March and again in April, prompting hundreds of migrants to storm one of El Paso’s international bridges.
“If you are at the border, leave this morning,” said a social media screenshot of the rumor. “Do not miss this opportunity.’
Aid workers previously told The Post how migrants are particularly vulnerable to the ploys orchestrated by cartels, as many are in vulnerable positions and in unfamiliar territory.
“Many people are waiting in Juarez [across the border from El Paso] very desperate, and they will believe anything,” said Crystal Sandoval of the Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in March.
Rumors of the cartel twice caused the international bridge in El Paso, Texas to be closed — once in March and again in April.REUTERS
While big cities like El Paso are struggling to deal with the border crisis, the flood of immigrants is a bigger burden for smaller border communities like Eagle Pass, which has a population of 29,000.
Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales – who represents Eagle Pass and El Paso – warned that the number of people coming to the US will continue and called on the Biden administration to enforce existing rules for asylum seekers more rigidly.
“Eagle Pass has been completely conquered now. El Paso is getting overwhelmed right now. Arizona is getting overwhelmed now.
“The only way we can regain control of the southern border is to enforce the laws that are on the books. That is exactly what the administration needs to do. That’s what Congress needs to focus on.
“All Americans deserve to feel safe in their own communities and now they don’t. Many people see it on TV and they think it will never happen to them. Well I’m here to tell you it’s already happening, whether you’re in New York, whether you’re in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles.
“These people who come illegally, they come to all parts of the country. It’s only going to get worse.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
