Eagle Pass border crossing reopens after sudden closure Monday

Federal officials reopened a border crossing between Eagle Pass and Mexico on Tuesday after shutting it down the day before over concerns about a possible rise in illegal migration attempts, a Maverick County spokesperson confirmed.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol closed Eagle Pass’s International Bridge I, which connects the city’s downtown to Piedras Negras, Mexico, around 3 p.m. Monday, according to a Maverick County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.

The decision to close Bridge I and a separate crossing in Lukeville, Arizona, came after federal agents heard smugglers were encouraging people to cross the border from Mexico into the U.S., CBP said in a statement released Monday.

“In response to this influx in encounters, we will continue to surge all available resources to expeditiously and safely process migrants,” officials with the agency said. “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.”

A similar closure of Bridge I in late September due to a sudden rise in migrant crossings cost the small South Texas city at least $500,000 in trade and cargo traffic, according to online news blog Border Report.

CBP recorded 188,788 migrant encounters along the southern border in October, a 14% decrease from the previous month. However, migrant encounters are up 4% this year compared to last, according to CBP data.

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This article appears in Nov 15-28, 2023.