Texas Border Video Shows Hundreds of Migrants Illegally Cross Over

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Videos shot by Fox News reporter Bill Melugin on Sunday on the banks of the Rio Grande show hundreds of people who had just "crossed illegally" into Texas after Mexican police had escorted nearly 20 buses full of migrants into Ciudad Juárez, according to the journalist.

One of the clips, which pans through a large number of people waiting in line along the banks of the river, shows "a massive line of migrants waiting to be taken into custody by Border Patrol," according to Melugin, who added that "more" were coming.

Texas border
As seen from an aerial view, traffic waits to enter the U.S. from Mexican side of the Rio Grande on December 01, 2022 near Hidalgo, Texas. John Moore/Getty Images

The crossing was confirmed by local independent and member-supported nonprofit news organization El Paso Matters, which shared a video of the crossing across the Rio Grande on Twitter.

"More than 1,000 migrants have begun crossing from Juarez into El Paso," the news organization wrote, calling the event "one of the largest mass crossings ever."

By Sunday night, El Paso Matters confirmed that the total number of migrants who had crossed was over 1,500. According to the news organization, the migrants arrived from the caravan of 20 buses that had been escorted by Chihuahua State Police from the city of Jiménez to Juárez earlier in the day.

The news organization wrote that buses split up in Juárez and brought migrants to the Leona Vicario and Kiki Romero shelters. The migrants reportedly said they were from Nicaragua, Peru and Ecuador.

According to El Paso Matters, more than 300 stayed at the Leona Vicario shelter in Juárez on Sunday, many of whom were victims of a mass kidnapping in Durango on December 3.

The news organization said that the migrants were traveling on Futura bus lines toward the border when they were stopped by men in police uniforms, stripped of their documents and held against their will in a house for six days before being rescued by the Mexican military.

One of the migrants interviewed by El Paso Matters talked about being "traumatized" by threats in her country and the kidnapping, and now looking for somewhere safe.

"All I want is to arrive at a place that is safe," she told the news organization. "That is all we're asking for."

On Monday, a spokesperson for the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector said that nearly 800 migrants were released from federal custody into the Texan city between Saturday and Sunday.

The provisional releases were described by officials as "a safe and humane release of migrants, who are placed into the community; who are placed into removal proceedings and are pending the next steps in their immigration process."

Newsweek has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

Update, 12/12/2022 7:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to offer more context on the story.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

Writers Page

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more