Smugglers Cross 119 Migrants, Including Unaccompanied Children Amid Storm At Southern Border
HIDALGO, Texas (CSBDFW) – Weslaco Border Patrol Station agents encountered a large group of 119 migrants in Hidalgo during inclement weather on May 12.
The group consisted of 93 family members and 26 noncitizen unaccompanied children. They were nationals from the countries of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Ecuador. Due to the heavy rain and thunderstorms passing through the Rio Grande Valley, agents and contractors transported the migrants to shelter at the Port of Entry in Hidalgo.
The intake procedures usually conducted at the place of encounter, were done at the port in order to keep the migrants, which included very young children, out of the severe weather. The migrants were then transported to a Border Patrol facility for processing.
Migrant families continue to cross into the United States from Mexico. On May 10, dozens of families were seen in the dark of night rowing across the Rio Grande River and into Roma, Texas, where they were taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol.
The crossings continue as the U.S. and Mexico work to find a solution. On May 7, Vice President Kamala Harris held a virtual meeting with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to explore joint approaches to containing a sharp increase in migrant arrivals at the U.S. southern border.
Mexico has been pressing Washington to invest in Central America and southern Mexico to create incentives for people not to migrate, as well as for the United States to create a pathway to legal residency or citizenship for immigrant workers.