Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will make a sudden trip to the U.S.-Mexico border Saturday following a historic week in which daily encounters of immigrants attempting to enter illegally topped 10,000 and show no sign of slowing.
The DHS announced Friday morning that Mayorkas will travel to the Rio Grande Valley of southeast Texas. In an unusual move, Mayorkas will be joined by a foreign dignitary. Honduran President Xiomara Castro will travel with Mayorkas and tour the McAllen, Texas area.
BLOOMBERG LAUNCHES $500 MILLION WAR TO CLOSE ALL COAL PLANTS AND BLOCK NEW GAS PLANTS
"In addition to discussing our continued cooperation with Honduras on reducing irregular migration in a safe, orderly, and humane way, the Secretary will oversee southwest border enforcement operations and highlight lawful pathways as an alternative to smugglers," the department stated in a media advisory.
EAGLE PASS, Texas — Thousands of migrants are coming and going from the holding area under this international bridge, mostly Venezuelan men.
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) September 21, 2023
Early today, they waited to be transported to Border Patrol’s “Firefly” tent facility to shower and eat before being released or removed. pic.twitter.com/tx8DNeK0Bf
The Rio Grande Valley reported the second-most people processed and in government custody of the nine sections that Border Patrol divides the 2,000-mile boundary by. The RGV reported 3,239 immigrants in custody as of Thursday morning, according to internal data obtained by the Washington Examiner.
The visit to the Rio Grande Valley could irk Border Patrol agents further west in Eagle Pass and Del Rio, Texas, where more thousands of illegal immigrants have streamed across the Rio Grande since last weekend, with no end in sight.
This is inside Border Patrol’s tent processing center outside Eagle Pass, where thousands of mostly single Venezuelan men have passed through this week before being released into the community or removed.
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) September 21, 2023
LEO sources say most are being released with notices to appear in court. pic.twitter.com/U1h0wk7pSh
The Border Patrol's regional facility capacity of roughly 1,800 has been crushed, according to internal data that revealed how overcapacity buildings and tents were.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Mayorkas could face pushback from rank-and-file Border Patrol agents who have largely been instructed to "catch and release" illegal immigrants rather than detaining people through court proceedings or returning them to their country of origin.
Immigrants are released to nearby nonprofit shelters or directly onto the street and typically handed a paper document that states when to appear in immigration court, not for several years.