U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced the reopening of four official crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday, following a record-setting December with over 300,000 migrants encountered. The Mexican government has stepped up efforts to slow U.S.-bound migration, resulting in fewer than 500 migrants encountered in the Del Rio sector of Texas on Monday. The Biden administration is continuing to grapple with the situation, taking steps to address the influx of migrants and providing additional resources to CBP.
Posts tagged as “U.S.-Mexico”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers uncovered a shipment of illegal narcotics hidden in vats of jalapeño paste at the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility in San Diego, containing over 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine and 500 pounds of cocaine with an estimated value of $10 million. The shipment was found in a commercial tractor-trailer being driven by a 28-year-old male with a valid border crossing card, and officers seized the shipment and arrested the driver. This discovery is part of a larger effort to crack down on cartels smuggling drugs across the southern border, with more than 1.5 million pounds of narcotics seized in the past year.
On Wednesday, the Senate failed to pass a key test vote on a bill that would approve tens of billions of dollars in emergency spending, including aid for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other priorities. The vote was blocked by Republicans demanding stricter border security measures and Senator Bernie Sanders, who opposed aid to Israel without conditions. President Joe Biden has made a plea for the bill to be passed, but the future of the aid remains uncertain.
A federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked the Biden administration from removing razor wire along the U.S.-Mexico border that was placed by the Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's administration. The razor wire was set up to hinder the entry of migrants, and the court's ruling allows federal officials to only remove the wire to provide or obtain emergency medical aid. The ruling has put a temporary hold on the Biden administration's efforts to remove the wire, which is seen as a symbol of the Trump administration's hardline immigration policies.
The U.S. government is facing a potential shutdown this weekend after the House of Representatives rejected a measure backed by Speaker Kevin McCarthy. White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients said President Joe Biden has no plans to talk to McCarthy, and a group of hard-right Republicans have refused to vote on a continuing resolution to keep the government funded. The White House has urged Congress to pass a short-term deal to keep the government funded and avoid a shutdown.
A federal appeals court has temporarily paused a lower court's ruling that would have required Texas to remove its controversial floating river barriers from the Rio Grande. The barriers, which are intended to deter migrants from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, were installed by the state of Texas and will remain in place for the time being. The Justice Department had argued that the barrier was a violation of the U.S. Constitution and the International Boundary and Water Commission Treaty of 1970, while Texas argued that the barrier was necessary to protect the state from illegal immigration. The appeals court's decision is only temporary, and the case will continue to be litigated in the courts.
The U.S.-Mexico border wall constructed during former President Donald Trump's administration has caused significant damage and destruction to the environment and cultural sites, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. The report outlines the environmental and cultural impacts of the wall, including desecration of Indigenous cultural sites, disruption of wildlife, destruction of vegetation, and erosion of mountain slopes. The report calls for the U.S. government to assess the impacts, develop a plan to address them, and provide resources to help Indigenous communities restore and protect their cultural sites.
A federal judge in Austin, Texas has ordered the state to remove a large floating barrier from the middle of the Rio Grande River, following protests from the U.S. and Mexican governments. The U.S. government argued that the buoys violated the federal government's exclusive authority to regulate navigable waters, and Judge Ezra found that the buoys interfered with the federal government's ability to manage the river and caused environmental damage. The ruling is the latest development in the Biden administration's efforts to address the ongoing migrant crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.