El Paso

Border Patrol holding migrants under Paso Del Norte bridge

Processing facility in EP at 395% capacity

By: Staff Report
  • Posted: Mar 26, 2019 10:39 AM MDT
  • Updated: Mar 26, 2019 04:56 PM MDT


Migrant camp under bridge

EL PASO, Texas - The U.S. Border Patrol confirms it is holding asylum seekers in a "transitional"camp under the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry bridge.

A photo obtained by ABC News shows what appears to be a couple hundred migrants in and around a tent set up under the bridge. A large fan is in front of the tent's entrance.

A Border Patrol spokesman told ABC-7 the camp is meant to "keep the migrants out of the elements" while they are transported to another facility to be processed. The migrants are not being processed at the camp, the spokesman said.

Inside the tent, migrants are given water, food and a medical evaluation.


Migrants under the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry bridge. Photo: Saul Saenz

Border Patrol officials tell ABC News the agency is on track to break the on million apprehension mark in fiscal year 2019. More than half of the migrants are families and the majority are from Central America, meaning their asylum requests and credible fear interviews must be heard, ABC News reports.

No major detention facility is under capacity and the backlogs and overflows at processing stations across the southern border are staggering, ABC News reports. The facility in El Paso is reportedly at 395 percent capacity.

The Border Patrol expects to detain 95,000 individuals in March, up from 76,000 in February.

https://www.kvia.com/news/el-paso/border-patrol-holding-migrants-under-paso-del-norte-bridge/1062830341