Border City Declares Emergency After Thousands of Venezuelan Migrants Arrive at Once

The mayor of Eagle Pass, Texas declared an emergency Tuesday night after roughly 2,500 mostly Venezuelan migrants arrived at once in the city of just 28,000 residents. 

The Details: Thousands more migrants have reportedly crossed the border at Eagle Pass since then. On Wednesday, federal officials closed one of three international bridges in the town, threatening the local economy. “Every day the bridge is closed we are losing money,” Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas Jr. told The New York Times (Lean Left bias). Salinas also said migrants were “walking around the streets” and overwhelming hospitals. 

Who Cut the Razor Wire? On Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) accused federal border agents of cutting razor wire on the Rio Grande and letting migrants in. A CBP spokesman said the agents cut the wire so they could take migrants struggling in the river into custody. Salinas, however, said migrants had cut the wire, not border agents.

For Context: Over 6 million Venezuelans have fled the ailing country since 2014, with millions ending up in nearby Colombia and Peru. On Wednesday, the Biden administration said it would grant temporary legal status to about 500,000 Venezuelans already in the U.S., allowing them to work legally. 

How the Media Covered It: Coverage was common across the news media, often using sensational language like “scramble” and “skyrocket.” The Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) appeared to misquote Salinas, saying he believed President Joe Biden was “at fault”; Salinas said he believed Biden “does bear some responsibility.”