US chiefs have temporarily suspended the operation of international railway crossing bridges at southern borders following a huge surge in crossings by migrants.
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas will be shut down on Monday.
Staff will be redirected to process migrants after authorities detained nearly 3,000 in Del Rio, Texas, and around 1,300 migrants in El Paso on Sunday.
The agency said: “CBP will continue to prioritise our border security mission as necessary in response to this evolving situation.”
Pedestrian and crossings used by vehicles in Eagle Pass, Texas; Lukeville, Arizona; and San Ysidro, California have previously been closed by the Biden administration over recent weeks.
The sector’s chief patrol agent, John Modlin said more than 37,000 migrants were caught attempting to pass the Tucson Border Patrol Sector during the first two weeks of December.
The mass rise in the number of migrants is being driven by misinformation by criminal organisations and cartels, the CBP has said.
A spokesperson said: “After observing a recent resurgence of smuggling organisations moving migrants through Mexico via freight trains, CBP is taking additional actions to surge personnel and address this concerning development, including in partnership with Mexican authorities.”
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The sector’s chief patrol agent, John Modlin said more than 37,000 migrants were caught attempting to pass the Tucson Border Patrol Sector during the first two weeks of December
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Last month, a new report suggested Joe Biden’s mismanaged migrant crisis is costing US taxpayers an eye-watering $451billion a year.
The report, compiled by the Republican party on Monday, suggests nearly half a trillion dollars is being funnelled into paying for the crisis, including for healthcare and accommodation.
Hinting at Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’s failure to stop migrants at the southern border, the report accuses the 63-year-old of accelerating illegal immigration.
Republicans are also pushing to impeach Mayorkas over his bungled handling of the migrant crisis.
