As President Joe Biden's handling of the southern border crisis promises to be a contentious issue in the 2024 election cycle, a massive group of 500 migrants was caught crossing into Eagle Pass, Texas on Wednesday in an example of an alarming trend that has taken root in recent months, as Breitbart exclusively reports.
According to the outlet, the group was comprised mainly of migrants from Venezuela and other Central American countries, and its members succeeded in breaching barbed wire barriers put in place by Texas authorities in an effort to stem the tide of arrivals.
Efforts by such large groups to make their way into the country in recent weeks are, according to a source from inside the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, particularly concerning in that currents in the Rio Grande are more rapid and forceful than typical, factors that pose serious risk for those attempting to traverse the river.
Specifically adding to the problem of late are water releases under the auspices of the International Boundary and Water commission.
These events, originating with the Amistad Dam in Del Rio, Texas, have resulted in an increased water level and flow rate in the Eagle Pass area, according to Breitbart.
Given the phenomenon of increasingly large groups attempting to cross at once, there has been a concomitant rise in drowning deaths among migrants in the sector.
Those who were part of the most recent group of 500 to breach the border were set to be taken to a Border Patrol processing center, after which they would likely be released to seek asylum inside the U.S.
Breitbart notes that in October alone, CBP reported upwards of 38,000 migrant apprehensions in the Del Rio Sector with most of those individuals making their crossing at Eagle Pass.
The surges seen at the border are having an unprecedented -- and expensive -- impact on large cities across the country, with many municipal leaders being forced to come to terms with the consequences of the “sanctuary” status of which they once boasted.
Though the border crisis may play a pivotal role in the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, a number of Republican lawmakers are hoping to bring about at least some form of accountability within the current administration well before next November.
While a recent push by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was scuttled by Democrats -- with the aid of eight members of the GOP – and her resolution sent to committees for consideration -- that is not to say that further efforts to achieve that result are unlikely to emerge.
Though Greene expressed frustration that her measure did not succeed, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) suggested that the issue of Mayorkas' future is far from resolved.
“Yes, Alejandro Mayorkas must be held accountable for his egregious failures -- there's no doubt about that. By giving the Judiciary Committee, under the leadership of Chairman Jordan, the opportunity to conduct a full-scale impeachment inquiry the right way, House Republicans are fulfilling the commitments we made to the American people and rising to a level that Democrats could never do,” Foxx said.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) attempted to reassure worried Americans by saying, “We didn't kill a Mayorkas impeachment. We voted to start impeachment hearings the entire country will watch. If we impeach Mayorkas today, Senate Democrats will feel free to reject it today. We want hearings where Democrats are forced to go on the record and finally have to defend Biden's historic border disaster. That's the last thing they want,” but when and whether that actually happens, only time will tell.
