The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, threatened Thursday to close six border crossings due to the massive arrival of thousands of migrants waiting to be processed to enter the United States.
Some 8,400 people
, most from Haiti, are seeking asylum
at the Del Rio International Bridge
, a number that has grown almost exponentially in recent days, according to Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank. Martinez.
Abbott said in a statement that it had ordered the state Department of Public Safety and National Guard
to increase their presence with personnel and vehicles
to close six points of entry.
"The border crisis is so serious that Customs and
Border Protection has requested our help because their agents are overwhelmed by chaos
," Abbott explained.
However, the governor and the state of Texas do not have unilateral authority to close federal ports of entry for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), unless the agency grants or requests permission.
Migrants hope to enter the US from the Del Río International BridgeCaleb Olvera / Telemundo
After hearing Abbott's decision, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Marsha Espinosa told CNN that "she is not asking the State of Texas for help in closing ports of entry."
"
It would be a violation of federal law for the Texas National Guard to do so unilaterally,
" he added.
Ports of entry depend on the federal government, not the states, as does immigration policy.
US law includes the right of immigrants to request asylum at the border.
And, in any case, the arrival of asylum seekers is never an invasion, since they are all waiting at the border to be processed as required by law by the federal authorities.
Abbott later sent
a second statement
on Thursday afternoon, in which it retracted its plans, accusing the federal government of changing from asking for help and then changing its mind.
"[The Biden Administration] has turned to a different strategy that abandons border security and instead facilitates the illegal crossing of people and the exploitation of the border by cartels," he said.
[About 90,000 migrants remain stranded on Mexico's southern border. They are mostly Haitians]
The governor indicated that he has ordered his agents to "maintain their presence" at the ports of entry.
Thousands awaiting asylum
Last Saturday there were about 2,500 migrants waiting to enter the country, the Val Verde County Sheriff told the Texas Tribune.
Five days later the number had tripled.
"The Border Patrol is overwhelmed. They just can't process them fast enough, so these individuals are piling up under the bridge," the sheriff stated. "They are not detained,
they are just gathered there waiting their turn to be processed,
" he detailed .
Aerial view of the area near the Del Río International Bridge, where thousands of migrants wait Caleb Olvera / Telemundo
The arrival of undocumented migrants fell slightly in recent weeks due to the restrictive measures applied by Mexico, going from 7,275 a day to 6,177.
However, federal agents registered
5,196 encounters with Haitians in the Del Rio sector in August,
an increase of 25% over the previous month, according to the latest statistics.
[USA. accepts new applications for the family reunification program for minors in Central America]
Thousands of migrants continue to cross the Rio Grande without fear of dying on the journey
Sept.
16, 202102: 11
According to the Val Verde sheriff, about 70% of the people waiting at the Del Rio International Bridge are from Haiti.
The Caribbean country faces two serious crises caused: a humanitarian one after the earthquake of August 7.2 and a political-social one due to the assassination of its president at the hands of an armed commando in circumstances that have yet to be clarified.