What would you do if migrants who illegally crossed into the US knocked on your door at one or two o’clock in the morning? That’s what’s happening to citizens in Eagle Pass, Texas, according to Maverick County Deputy Constable Frank Bowles. He told Fox and Friends about it in a recent interview.
“New York is complaining because they received 1,500 [migrants]. That’s what we received by noon, here in Eagle Pass. Sometimes even more people,” Bowles said.
He estimates that about 3000 migrants cross into their communities every day.
Eagle Pass is on the Texas border at the Rio Grande River. It’s a city of about 28,300 citizens.
Residents call 911 because migrants go into the neighborhoods and wander around. Some of them “knock on doors at one or two o’clock in the morning,” Bowles told Fox.
He also said about 90% of the emergency calls have to do with illegal border crossers. That delays the response when residents need police, fire, or ambulance services. “Our 911 system is constantly being pushed to the limit.”
The flood of migrants affects citizens in other ways
Some Texas border residents endure property damage. When migrants try to get away from U.S. Border Patrol agents, vehicles sometimes crash into fences and gates, according to Border Report. Plus, attempts to escape the authorities cause dangerous situations for motorists in the area.
The need for first responders to rescue migrants caught in the Rio Grande’s currents further impacts the city’s emergency system. It also stretches first responders between citizens’ and migrants’ emergencies.
What the future holds
Governor Greg Abbott plans to continue his busing mission. In the future, he'll expand the transports to other sanctuary cities. The goal is to bring relief to overwhelmed and overrun communities like Eagle Pass.
According to an Operation Lone Star press release, Texas has “Bused over 7,400 migrants to our nation’s capital since April and over 1,500 migrants to New York City since August 5, 2022.”
Also, Gov. Abbott bused about 150 migrants to Chicago, and another busload reached NYC.
Although other cities are receiving migrants, Bowles points out that it’s nothing like what Texas is experiencing. He said where he stood, 25 to 50 migrants cross into Eagle Pass every hour.
In a NY Post Op Ed, Gov. Abbott wrote,
“More than 2 million illegal immigrants have crossed the border in the past 11 months—many of them pouring into Texas towns with populations far fewer than 50,000.”
What would you do if people illegally wandered around your neighborhood or knocked on your door at one or two o’clock in the morning?
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