El Paso, Texas (Border report) – They call it “La Villita” (Little Village) and it is growing by the hour as more asylum seekers pour in towards El Paso’s border wall.
Late Friday morning, migrants pitched dozens of makeshift tents on US territory south of Gate 40 in the Wall. Center.
On their way back to the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, some migrants interviewed by Border Report said agents told them the processing center in El Paso was full. Agents reportedly told them to wait until space became available.
Direy Mancilla, a Colombian asylum seeker who arrived in Juarez on Thursday with her husband and 14-month-old daughter, said: “They have no room and are freeing people to pick us up. I said yes.
Honduras’ Victor Mejia said processing centers “collapsed” due to high numbers of migrants crossing the border days before the Title 42 public health immigration deportation ended.
“We need food, water, medicine and protection,” said the asylum seeker after returning to Mexico. “We sleep on the dirt. Children get sick, parents get sick. Please help us here at Gate 40.”
The city of El Paso’s online immigration dashboard on Thursday reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection had 4,338 immigrants in custody. This number is close to an all-time high. The dashboard works with CBP-provided data.
In statements to Border Report and KTSM, federal officials said they do not comment on statements immigrants make to the news media. Border Patrol agents encounter an average of 1,400 migrants every day in the El Paso area. That’s a lot less than her 2,500 we encountered in early October.
“The El Paso sector now leads the nation with over 265,000 encounters in fiscal 2023,” the agency said. “As the influx of migrants continues, it is not uncommon for migrants to congregate in areas while awaiting transport for processing. It offers some relief from the elements and the elements.”
In addition to processing asylum seekers, border guards are focused on arresting migrants who attempt to evade capture by climbing over the border wall and into residential areas near the border. Their numbers are rising in El Paso, and migrants are trying to flee to residential areas near the border.
CBP uses both Title 42 public health deportation and Title 8 removal for immigrants deemed to have no legal basis to remain in the United States. If it is determined that there is no legal basis to remain in the United States, we will expedite the removal of Title VIII immigration pathways, including banning entry of individuals from that country for five years,” the statement said.
The agency has two large processing facilities (a central processing center near Hondo Pass Drive and a new softside facility near Chaparral, New Mexico). A third, larger facility is being built in northeastern El Paso near the softside facility.
On Friday morning, new immigrants carrying rucksacks, gym bags, and plastic grocery bags with snacks and water arrived at the Rio Grande near Gate 40 literally every few minutes.
They walked across the stagnant, fetid river water, 1.5 m high, to the wall of a section of barbed wire fence that had been cut away. Several families and groups of men were recorded setting up makeshift tents to protect themselves from the 80-degree heat.
Angela, a Venezuelan mother, expressed frustration at the slow pace of the asylum process. She left her hometown a few months ago with her husband and her five children. One had a cystostomy and the other had a catheter for asthma. In addition, one of her young daughters fell ill in Juarez.
“She has a bad cold. She had a fever,” said her mother. “We arrived here on Sunday night and can’t wait to see you all. […] I hope to cross over as soon as they open the door again. “
Angela said she misses her family’s two dogs, Peru and Panama. These dogs are named after the countries her children were picked up from. Because she was told she couldn’t enter America.
Mejia of Honduras said the situation unfolding on Friday morning will undoubtedly escalate over the next few days. Said.