Texas Border Force Pushes Back Migrant Wave

The end of the Trump-era Title 42 immigration policy is leading to significant strain at the southern border as the federal government and states struggle with a new wave of migrants. One effort by the state of Texas has met with some success.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced the creation of the Texas Tactical Border Force to handle the anticipated wave of new migrants.

The border force includes approximately 10,000 members of the Texas National Guard and more than 1,000 police.

The effort appears to have already met with some success. Some migrants were pushed back by members of the border force.

Title 42 was a policy created by then-President Donald Trump during the coronavirus pandemic. The rule allowed for illegal immigrants to be deported from the United States more quickly.

The Biden administration allowed for the rule to expire Thursday, leading to significant fears that more migrants may come to the border.

Some estimates of illegal border crossings are as high as 13,000.

The number of migrants attempting to cross the border has increased to 10,000 daily in recent days. However, more than 150,000 people are estimated to be waiting to cross the border.

The wave of migrants into the country has grown so large that Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) issued an order to release some migrants after detaining facilities overfilled beyond capacity. The order was then blocked by a federal judge. 

The federal government deployed approximately 3,500 soldiers and law enforcement officials to the border to help stem the crisis.

President Joe Biden said that the United States was working with Mexico, but that “it’s going to be chaotic for a while.”

Issues along the southern border increased in the days counting toward the end of Title 42. A bridge on the U.S.-Mexico border was the site of a firefight between Mexican authorities and what appear to be drug cartels.

Video emerged of the fight at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge on the border of Mexico and Texas.