Rail bridges between Texas, Mexico closed amid surge in migrant smuggling

Two rail bridges between Texas and Mexico closed Monday morning amid a recent surge in migrant smuggling at the border.

The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency announced Sunday that the international railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso will be closed starting 8 a.m. local time Monday due to a rise in migrant encounters at the southwest border of Texas. The agency said smuggling organizations were using freight trains to move migrants through Mexico.

“CBP is continuing to surge all available resources to safely process migrants in response to increased levels of migrant encounters at the Southwest Border, fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals,” the agency said in a statement.

The agency said it “is taking additional actions to surge personnel and address this concerning development, including in partnership with Mexican authorities.” It also said the closure of the rail bridges will allow more personnel to help take migrants into custody.

The agency emphasized that it would adjust its operations “to maximize enforcement efforts against those noncitizens who do not use lawful pathways or processes.” It noted that other efforts include the continued suspension of San Ysidro’s Pedestrian West operations in San Diego and the continued closure of the Lukeville Port of Entry in Arizona.

The CBP did not say when the rail bridges will be reopened in its statement.

The closure comes as Senate negotiators are rushing to come to an agreement on border security before the end of the year. Bipartisan lawmakers have been huddled together for weeks to come to a compromise on the border, which would unlock additional funding for Ukraine and Israel.

Despite a handful of lawmakers and the White House saying they are making process, no timeline has been laid out to when a deal may be agreed on. The Biden administration warned earlier this month that funding for Ukraine will run out without congressional action.