DEL RIO, TX – The US has continued to see a massive spike in migrants crossing the Mexican border illegally since Joe Biden took office as President. This week, images have captured thousands of immigrants [1] underneath a Texas bridge while they wait to be processed by US Customs and Border Protection.
Fox News [2] sent drones up to capture footage of the situation. On Thursday night, the Federal Aviation Administration placed a temporary restriction [3] on their ability to do so, effectively grounding all their cameras.
As a response, the Department of Public Safety took a Fox News reporter into the air via helicopter to continue to report on the crisis.
On Thursday, Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez confirmed an estimated 9,000 immigrants in the large dirt lot filled with trash, some laying down on blankets. Some immigrants have even set up a clothesline to launder their clothes while they wait.
**REPORT: "We’ve learned that the FAA just implemented a two week TFR (Temporary Flight Restrictions) over the international bridge in Del Rio, TX, meaning we can no longer fly our FOX drone…"** https://t.co/juTucO6frQ [4]
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) September 17, 2021 [5]
Reports say that on September 9, there were only a couple hundred people under that same lot.
During a press conference where Sheriff Martinez spoke, 500 more immigrants arrived. The press conference was 30 minutes long.
The immigrants are reportedly mainly from Haiti, but there are also some Cuban and Venezuelan nationals.
Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano said he is “deeply frustrated,” as another 20,000 immigrants are apparently on their way to the bridge. “The thing that I worry about is a stampede. The thing I worry about is terrorism,” Lozano said.
BREAKING: Just wrapped up a helicopter ride with Texas DPS at the international bridge in Del Rio, TX. What we saw was absolutely stunning. There are at least 10,000 migrants under the bridge who crossed illegally, and a constant stream of hundreds more crossing over. @FoxNews [6] pic.twitter.com/IADqBzb3qn [7]
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 17, 2021 [8]
“This is not secure,” he continued. “This is not defensible. We don’t really know who they are.” He also added that his city’s medical resources are “stretched thin.”
As at least some type of precaution, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has told the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard to “maintain their presence at and around ports of entry to deter crossings.”
In a September 16 statement, Abbott said, “The Biden Administration is in complete disarray and is handling the border crisis as badly as the evacuation from Afghanistan.”
Local law enforcement is providing portable toilets and water stations for thousands of immigrants. Reportedly, they are freely able to walk back into Mexico to gather food. They are also not being tested for COVID-19.
Lozano said that the amount of immigrants under that bridge has now reached almost 1/3 the population of the whole city.
The FAA has allegedly shut down air space over Del Rio – and there is only one reason if true. So YOU won’t see this and know the President is endangering Americans & failing to do his duty. #NationalBorderCrisis [9] pic.twitter.com/CxDaS834ex [10]
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) September 17, 2021 [11]
Fox News reportedly was able to regain access to airspace on Friday.
This piece was written by Leah Anaya on September 18, 2021. It originally appeared in RedVoiceMedia.com [12] and is used by permission.