Nearly 1,000 illegal immigrants detained under Texas bridge

New video shows nearly a thousand illegal immigrants detained by border patrol officers under a bridge near the South Texas border – a senior Republican calling it an “absolute catastrophe”, as the Biden administration continues to warm up for the escalating migrant crisis.

“Absolute disaster on the part of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Democrats in the House and Senate. #BidenBorderCrisis ”, GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) wrote on Twitter Sunday, in connection with images posted by Bill Melugin of Fox News in Los Angeles.

“NEW: This is the largest group of migrants we have ever seen detained by the border patrol under the Anzalduas Bridge in Mission, Texas. Looks like there could be up to 1,000 people. We can only see the area with our drone. There is a popular Rio Grande crossing area nearby ”, Melugin posted as well as drone footage of the incident.

Biden’s White House has come under increasing pressure to find a way to respond to the border crisis sparked after the president rolled back or rolled back many immigration policies put in place by former President Donald Trump.

Representative Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) also calls on the administration to take action.

“Our DHS officers and border communities are overwhelmed and need to be prioritized. DHS will meet again over 180,000 immigrants at the southern border in July, adding to the more than one million immigrants who arrived at the southern border in fiscal year 21. Something must change! he said in a Twitter post linked to the video.

Cuellar and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) sent a letter to Biden last week urging him to appoint former Home Security Department secretary Jeh Johnson as border czar.

“We write to you with a sense of urgency regarding the escalating situation on our southern border. In doing so, we hope to demonstrate that this bicameral concern is neither partisan nor political, ”the lawmakers wrote.

Their letter set out the numbers that contributed to the crisis.

“In June, the United States Customs and Border Protection (‘CBP’) recorded 188,829 law enforcement cases at the southwest land border, the highest monthly total in a decade. This represents an increase of 571% compared to the 33,049 matches recorded by CBP in June 2020. In addition, in 2021 alone, these figures have increased by 255% compared to the 74,019 matches recorded in December 2020 ”, added writes Cuellar and Graham.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, frustrated with the administration’s inability to control the border, recently signed executive orders ordering State National Guard troops to assist in arrests of illegal immigrants and to allow state troops to stop vehicles suspected of transporting illegal immigrants.

Soldiers can stop vehicles “on reasonable suspicion” and can redirect them to their point of origin or impound them if they are found to be carrying illegal immigrants.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has filed a lawsuit to block Abbott’s transport order, calling it “dangerous” and “against federal law.”