On Wednesday, Mexican officials bulldozed an immigrant camp near the Rio Grande in Matamoros, Mexico, clearing what was once a temporary home to around 1,500 migrants. This action coincides with high-level talks between Mexico and the United States south of the border.
The camp, just across the river from Brownsville, Texas, had become a focal point of the ongoing immigration debate. Matamoros officials claimed they targeted only vacant tents, but reports from the ground tell a different story. A Honduran migrant told reporters a contradictory story, stating, “They ran us out,” emphasizing their removal was sudden and forceful.
Over last few days as US and Mexico have been in talks over immigration, an encampment in Matamoros, MX was cleared out — forcibly, some said — with machetes and bulldozers.
One migrant father said they had little notice and many fled out of fear. This was the bulldozer used. https://t.co/9MuIYcjDK8 pic.twitter.com/tCYLvut0A7
— Valerie Gonzalez (@ValOnTheBorder) December 28, 2023
This incident occurred as Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken engaged in discussions about immigration. The timing is particularly notable, following President Joe Biden’s direct appeal to López Obrador regarding the escalating migrant situation at the border.
The United States has made its stance clear, temporarily closing key border rail crossings into Texas, and applying pressure on Mexico to stem the tide of migrants reaching the U.S. border. In response, Mexico has ramped up its detention efforts, with detentions rising significantly in the week leading up to Christmas.
Mexican officials bulldoze immigrant camp near U.S. border | Just The News https://t.co/wOXisgC0sf
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) December 29, 2023
The situation at the border remains tense, with as many as 10,000 migrants arrested daily on the southwest U.S. border in December. The Del Rio sector in Texas reported over 22,000 migrant apprehensions in one week alone.
Despite the urgency, López Obrador emphasized the need to keep border crossings open, a sentiment echoed in his recent talks with Blinken. This comes after the U.S. briefly closed two vital Texas railway crossings, highlighting the economic impact of border closures.
Texas, too, is taking a firmer approach. Starting in March, state police will have the authority to arrest migrants who enter illegally, a move that has drawn both support and criticism. This law builds on Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s ‘arrest and jail’ operation, which has seen nearly 10,000 migrants arrested on misdemeanor trespassing charges since 2021.
The situation in Matamoros and the broader U.S.-Mexico border region is reflective of the complex interplay of humanitarian concerns, border security, and international diplomacy that has erupted into a full-blown crisis as the result of Joe Biden and the Democratic Party’s open borders policies ignoring the federal immigration laws enacted by Congress.
