According to a report by Border Report, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has stated that members of Mexican drug cartels are spreading word on social media that the U.S.-Mexico border is open. Although U.S. Customs and Border Protection has denied that the border is open, there does seem to be an increase of migrants at the border.
It was recently reported by Border Report that hundreds of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, crossed the border near El Paso and surrendered to border patrol agents, being taken to processing facilities. It is expected that more migrants will come. Allegedly, on social media cartel members were spreading rumors that some parts of the border, particularly El Paso, were open for illegal immigration.
According to The Texas Tribune, the number of migrants in El Paso were so great that the Mexican government is actually deporting migrants who are in Mexican immigration processing facilities after being denied entry at the international bridge between El Paso and Juárez.
El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser, stated in The Texas Tribune article, that more than 2,000 are arriving daily, about double the number from August. Leeser stated that the city is coming to a “breaking point.”
According to Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens, in The Texas Tribune Article, the cartels may be spreading misinformation trying to increase illegal immigration in order to draw the attention of border agents, officials and law enforcement to make it easier to smuggle drugs elsewhere along the border.
According to CBS News, which used government statistics, during the first 20 days of September border patrol agents have apprehended about 6,900 migrants a day along the entire border. This is a 60% increase from the 4,300 figure in July.
