Photo: Bloomberg
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that one of the bridges that connects the U.S. and Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas, will be closed to vehicular traffic. In addition, they will be reducing vehicle entries at a remote border crossing in Lukeville, Arizona.
Officials said the decision was made to shift resources as the agency continues to deal with illegal immigrants crossing the border.
"The U.S. is continuing to see increased levels of migrant encounters at the Southwest Border, fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals and encourage migration," Customs and Border Protection said in a statement.
"In response to this influx in encounters, we will continue to surge all available resources to expeditiously and safely process migrants. We will maximize consequences against those without a legal basis to remain in the United States. CBP will continue to prioritize our border security mission as necessary in response to this evolving situation," the statement continued.
According to KSAZ, people returning from Mexico at the Lukeville crossing are waiting up to two hours to get into the United States.
One migrant seeking political asylum at the crossing told the news station it took him three weeks to get there as he fled persecution in his home country with his wife.
"We have it very, very, very difficult in Guinea. Poverty. Persecution. Torture. My life is in danger. They made a fire in my shop," the migrant said.