Overwhelmed border officials urge D.C. to act

Local officials and community leaders along the border say their main message to Washington is: Less politics, more actual change. So far this time, they say, they’ve managed to hold chaos at bay. But they worry the situation is getting out of control as the number of migrants swells and conditions worsen accordingly at U.S. Border Patrol facilities. They insist it’s way past time for leaders in Washington to come up with long-term solutions that will help create better conditions in the migrants’ home countries and allow those that still want to come to the U.S. to enter via a smooth and fair process…

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Over in McAllen, Pimentel said the issue, as she understands it, is this: CBP officials stationed along the Rio Grande Valley are overwhelmed by the influx of migrants seeking sanctuary. So, rather than processing them there, where there isn’t capacity, CBP sends them to El Paso and Laredo.

But what happens after they’re processed varies. All migrant families are supposed to be expelled, according to current U.S. policy. But local officials say Mexico is now refusing to accept families with children under the age of 6 at certain parts of the border, which means they end up being released into the U.S. anyway. However, Reuters reported on Friday that even families with young children are being expelled after they’re flown to El Paso.

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