PHOENIX — A border crossing in Texas was closed to vehicles on Monday, and traffic at a border crossing in Arizona was restricted to shift more resources to illegal entries, US authorities said in the latest sign of how rapidly changing migration routes are challenging the government to keep up.
Customs and Border Protection said it will close one of two bridges to vehicles in Eagle Pass, Texas, a city of about 30,000 that was the busiest corridor for illegal crossings for a while last year. The agency is also reducing the number of vehicles in Lukeville, Arizona, a remote desert area that has become a major migration route in recent months.
“The U.S. continues to encounter increasing numbers of migrants at the southwest border, fueled by smugglers spreading disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals and encourage migration,” Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. “While we respond with additional resources and apply consequences for illegal entry, migration trends are also changing.
Lukeville is in the Border Patrol’s Tucson sector, which was by far the busiest of the nine along the U.S.-Mexico border in October.
John Modlin, the sector head, said on Sunday that all social media accounts in the sector would be temporarily reduced in response to “the ongoing wave of migration”.
“At this point, all available personnel are needed to handle the unprecedented flow,” Modlin wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “The social media team will return as soon as the situation allows.”
A short time later he returned to apologize for the “hastily written statement” and promised transparency.
Cuts to staff in legal trade and travel are the latest response to demands for the treatment of people who cross the border illegally, often to seek asylum. A major crosswalk in San Diego was closed for weeks starting in September as authorities focused more attention on people entering the country without permission.
While the number of arrests for illegal crossings fell in October, September was the second highest month on record.
