A large group of approximately 300 illegal immigrants successfully crossed the southern border from Piedras Negras, Coahuila, in Mexico, into Texas near Eagle Pass in the final days of the Biden administration. The incident, captured by Border Patrol surveillance footage, shows the group being guided across the Rio Grande by Mexican cartel smugglers. This coordinated effort highlights ongoing security challenges at the U.S.-Mexico border, particularly in the Del Rio Sector, where large groups of migrants have been crossing regularly since September and October.
The group’s easy penetration of the border near Eagle Pass defied efforts by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has deployed state resources to combat illegal immigration for the past three years. Abbott’s administration had installed razor wire fencing along parts of the border in an attempt to deter illegal crossings. In a recent victory for Texas, a federal appeals court blocked the federal government’s attempt to remove these state-installed barriers, which had been part of Abbott’s strategy to prevent illegal immigration from surging into the region.
The Biden administration and Governor Abbott have been at odds over border enforcement, with Abbott pushing for stronger state-level measures while President Biden has focused on federal policies. However, with the looming transition to a new administration under President-elect Donald Trump, Abbott’s approach is set to shift, as Trump has vowed to ramp up border security. Trump’s incoming border czar, former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Tom Homan, visited the Texas border earlier this week and emphasized that mass deportations would soon follow.
Homan, alongside Abbott, made it clear that a major crackdown on illegal immigration would begin immediately after Trump’s inauguration. Homan explained that plans for mass deportations were already in motion and that they would target those who had crossed the border illegally during the ongoing crisis. “We’re not waiting until January to secure this nation at the highest levels this nation has ever seen,” Homan said.
This transition period between the November 2024 election and Inauguration Day in January 2025 has been a point of heightened concern for border security, as a new surge of immigrants is anticipated. In previous election cycles, the prospect of a new administration has been enough to encourage increased crossings, as migrants hoped for a more lenient policy under a Democrat-led White House. However, with Trump’s imminent return to power, many are now worried that his hardline stance on immigration will once again lead to a sharp crackdown.
