international bridge

Rolando Salinas Jr. said authorities are expecting between several thousand more migrants to cross through the city in the coming days.

The Del Rio International Bridge had been closed for more than a week as thousands of migrants — mostly from Haiti — camped under the bridge. The number of migrants there at one point reached 16,000.

“If there were two options to either die or send me back to Haiti, I prefer to die. Because of the situation that our country is under,” said Jason, a Haitian migrant speaking to a Mexican immigration officer.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Monday his department will run an investigation into photos and a video going viral on social media that appear to show border patrol agents on horseback using horse reins to threaten Haitian migrants in Del Rio, Texas.

To some, this scene represents a broken immigration system that opportunistic migrants are taking advantage of. To others, it presents an opportunity for America to once again welcome people in need from around the world.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced late Friday that it will temporarily close and re-route traffic from Del Rio to Eagle Pass in order to respond to the “urgent safety and security needs” presented by thousands of migrants waiting underneath the international bridge connecting Del Rio with Ciudad Acuña.