US border control police and many states are facing difficulty in dealing with the influx of thousands of migrants arriving from Mexico every day due to their lack of resources, in a crisis that has exposed President Joe Biden to intense attacks from his Republican opponents.
The border company said that the number of migrants crossing the border in recent months reached 10,000 per day, which is a slight increase compared to previous months, which witnessed the arrival of migrants at an accelerated pace.
It added that it intercepted more than 2.4 million migrants by land between October 2022 and September 2023.
On Tuesday, authorities closed the railroad lines in Eagle Pass and El Paso in Texas due to the “return” of illegal immigrants entering the United States on freight trains.
Border crossings by car from Eagle Pass have been suspended since early December, as well as from two crossings, one in California and another in Arizona, while Border Police said they had to move their crews away from checkpoints to focus on dealing with irregular entries.
On Monday, the governor of Texas, a supporter of former US President Donald Trump, signed a law allowing state police to arrest and deport immigrants who enter the United States illegally from Mexico.
Greg Abbott, who was speaking during a signing ceremony broadcast live in Brownsville on the US-Mexico border, accused President Joe Biden of “doing nothing to stop illegal immigration.”
The law, known by its acronym SP4, which takes effect in March, makes “unlawful entry into Texas from a foreign country a criminal offense,” punishable by six months in prison or up to 20 years in case of repeat violations.
The law gives law enforcement authorities in Texas the authority to arrest immigrants and deport them to Mexico, a power that is usually reserved for federal authorities.
In response, human rights organizations, including the influential American Civil Liberties Union, filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the Texas law.
Even political allies in the border states held Biden responsible for the increase in illegal crossings.
Democratic Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs said, “The federal government refuses to do its job of securing our borders and keeping our communities safe.”
Earlier this month, Hobbs announced she was sending Arizona National Guard troops to the border.
