Eagle Pass, Texas obstructs livestream view of migrant tent city

September 21, 2023

Thousands of migrants have been camping out beneath a bridge in Eagle Pass, Texas — though you wouldn’t be able to tell by viewing the city’s livestream where the overflow facility is obstructed by a giant black box.

The alteration was visible in live footage shared by the border city, which experienced an unpreceded surge of some 4,000 migrants on Wednesday — prompting officials to declare a state of emergency.

“I am aware that there are 2,000-4,000 [migrants] under the Bridge and more are coming,” Mayor Rolando Salinas told The Post Wednesday.

“We’ve also been in contact with Union Pacific [railroad, which runs across the bridge] to make sure they are adequately providing security so that they are not crossing on the railroad tracks.”

The bridge is home to an overflow facility as the city’s only operating CBP processing facility has a capacity of just 1,000.

U.S. Border Patrol agents process hundreds of migrants under the International Bridge II in Eagle Pass, Texas, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. — U.S. Border Patrol agents process hundreds of migrants under the International Bridge II in Eagle Pass.

Salinas said that he hopes to “clear out the people under the bridge,” but worries another daily surge of migrants in a seemingly endless flood will result in a disaster.

“But if we get another wave tomorrow it’s Del Rio all over again,” he said, referring to the 2021 incident in which 15,000 Haitian immigrants camped out under the bridge in neighboring Del Rio, Texas.

The latest surge is the latest in a weeks-long shocking stream of migrants crossing into the border city illegally.

U.S. Border Patrol agents process hundreds of migrants under the International Bridge II in Eagle Pass, Texas, Wednesday, — As many as 4,000 migrants are camped out beneath the bridge.

A separate 2,500-person group entered Monday, on top of approximately 7,200 other illegal crossers apprehended in the previous week, according to Salinas.

He also said the huge influx over the last week — close to 50% of the city’s 29,000 population — has “taken a toll on our local resources, especially our local police force and our fire department.”

The mayor continues to worry that another 4,000 to 8,000 people in a number of separate groups are also heading to the city.

The new emergency declaration issued by Salinas will allow Eagle Pass to apply for federal and state aid to help deal with the sudden influx.