EL PASO, Texas — Cinco de Mayo proved relatively uneventful as illegal border crossings near El Paso have slowed in recent months. On Sunday, Breitbart Texas moved along the border between Texas and New Mexico, observing what seemed to be a quiet day on the heavily guarded U.S. side of the border as residents in Mexico celebrated the holiday. As the soldiers, Highway Patrol troopers, and Border Patrol agents guarded the Rio Grande’s U.S. bank, Juarez residents basked in the sun and swam in the narrow border river.
Despite a recent slowdown in migrant crossings in the greater El Paso area, a significant number of migrants continue to find ways through the heavily fortified border under constant surveillance by soldiers, troopers, and Border Patrol agents. Despite the posture on the United States side of the border, nearly 1,000 migrants still manage to enter the greater El Paso area each day, according to a source within CBP.
Texas Guard on banks of Rio Grande. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
The video taken by Breitbart Texas shows a heavily fortified Texas bank of the Rio Grande with little movement on the Mexican side of the border, contrasted with residents of Juarez enjoying the Cinco de Mayo holiday on the banks of the river across from the nearby state of New Mexico. A CBP source says migrant crossings happen throughout the area, some involving breaches in the concertina wire on the Texas side of the border and other crossings occurring into New Mexico, where fewer fortifications have been placed.
In Sunland Park, New Mexico, Border Patrol agents patrol the banks of the Rio Grande and observe the border area perched atop a nearby hillside. An array of cameras and radar technology also provide coverage along the New Mexico stretch of the river. Juarez, Mexico, is home to nearly 1.4 million residents and abuts Texas and a small portion of New Mexico.
Across from Texas, the video shows several officers from Mexico’s National Institute of Migration (INM) conducting patrols as Texas troops hold their ground on the U.S. side in an area known as Gate 36, where hundreds of migrants stormed their way past Texas National Guard soldiers in late March. Breitbart Texas’ drone video captured a lone migrant testing an Army National Guard soldier’s resolve at the edge of layers of concertina wire, a stark contrast to the images in March of hundreds of migrants breaching the wire barriers.
Released Migrants are Processed into Catholic Shelter in Downtown El Paso (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
In the downtown area of El Paso, Breitbart Texas witnessed a line of migrants recently released by the Border Patrol to pursue asylum claims being received by a Catholic charity shelter operated by the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The daily releases and the number of migrants still found loitering around the downtown area of El Paso serve as evidence of daily migrant crossings in the greater El Paso area. Migrant shelters in the El Paso area are slated to receive more than $12 Million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shelter funding to accommodate the expected influx of migrants into the community.
Breitbart Texas visited El Paso one year ago and noted significantly more migrants surviving on the streets living in cardboard and tarp shelters. A crackdown by the Mexican government has reduced the number of migrants reaching the border since January.
Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas
In late December, the Biden administration and Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador reached an agreement to reduce irregular migration. Although few details of the agreement have been released, it is evident that Mexico’s National Institute of Migration and the country’s National Guard have reduced the number of migrants using public transportation and the famous “Bestia” train line to reach northern Mexico.
According to a source within Customs and Border Protection, migrant crossings into the El Paso Border Patrol Sector were down nearly 30 percent during the month of April. The source, who was not authorized to speak to the media, said 30,400 migrants were apprehended by the Border Patrol within the sector in April 2024 compared to nearly 43,000 in April 2023.
According to the source, the drop in crossings is more significant this fiscal year than last. Since October, 181,000 migrants have crossed the border town compared to 308,200 during the same time frame last year, a reduction of 41 percent.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
