Migrants Evacuated from Temporary Processing Facility after Threat Received
Federal authorities evacuated approximately 200 migrants from a temporary processing facility north of Eagle Pass on Thursday afternoon following a threat, according to a source familiar with operations on the ground.
While the threat was not corroborated, the immigrants were transferred to other facilities as a precaution. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) did not confirm details of the evacuation, but responded to CNN with a statement saying, “Threats of violence against law enforcement personnel and immigrants are unacceptable and CBP takes all threats very seriously. As such, we are taking appropriate and necessary measures to keep our employees and immigrants in our custody safe. We will remain vigilant and continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners.”
The 150,000-square-foot immigration processing facility is scheduled to open in 2022 and has the capacity to hold 1,000 people, according to the CBP website.
Border authorities detained about 300 migrants on Thursday in the Del Rio Border Patrol Sector, which includes Eagle Pass. Immigrant apprehensions along the entire US southern border totaled 5,000 that day.
Overall, migrant apprehensions at the southern border have decreased compared to the 10,000 a day during a surge in mid-December.