A border city in Texas sued the Homeland Security Department on Friday to stop the transport of migrants from the Rio Grande Valley and other parts of the state into the already strained area.
Laredo, Texas, alleged it was informed that Border Patrol would be sending a total of six busloads, up from three, equating to roughly 250 to 350 per day into the community, according to a complaint filed in the U.S. Southern District of Texas, Laredo Division, which names DHS, as well as its subagency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and specific officials, as defendants.
The week prior to the lawsuit, Laredo authorities reported a 40% increase in COVID-19-positive migrants and a total of 172 people infected with the virus that were transported by authorities.
“Although the influx of migrants is a federal issue, the federal government has made this a municipal problem to resolve on our own,” the city wrote in the lawsuit. “As Laredo is an underserved medical community with limited resources, it simply cannot accommodate a surge in COVID-19 positives. The city cannot accept any more buses of [migrants] as the flood of [migrants] has caused irreparable harm and injury to our community given little to no hospital availability.”
LAREDO BORDER PATROL REPORTS OVER 1,000% UPTICK IN ARRESTS OF CRIMINAL MIGRANTS
The city officials further indicated that a limited number of nongovernmental organizations, which are helping to accommodate the influx, are at capacity and an additional three busloads would require authorities to release “approximately 300 people per day” to be “dropped off into the general public” without COVID-19 testing.
Laredo seeks a preliminary injunction and a temporary restraining order to halt the extra migrant transports. The city has also requested an emergency hearing on the matter.
CBP said a “significant increase in encounters” has forced the agency to transport more individuals.
“Several Border Patrol Sectors have seen a significant increase in encounters in recent months. In order to process individuals as safely and expeditiously as possible, unprocessed individuals may be transported via air or ground transportation to other Sectors along the Southwest border,” the government body said in a statement. “The operational need for these sector-to-sector transfers is assessed daily based on the processing capability and facility capacity of each sector and not by external influences.”
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Early last month, Laredo authorities reported a 1,200% increase in the arrests of criminal migrants in the area. Since the start of the fiscal year, a total of 760 criminal migrants have been brought into custody, compared to 60 who were arrested over the same time period last year.
A CBP spokesperson said the agency does not comment on ongoing litigation. DHS did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
