Migrants went without showers and were held for many days past federal standards at...
A Texas National Guardsman escorts migrants who surrendered after crossing the Rio Grande by the Camino Real International Bridge in Eagle Pass, Texas, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022. A surge of migrants crossing has been seen in the area.
Some holding pods at the Eagle Pass detention center had sections at 275% capacity. The facility's overall capacity was 500; at the time of the inspection, more than 1,007 people were being detained there. “Border Patrol officials told us that at times they do not have sufficient staff to fully perform some functions. For example, the volume of detainees taken into custody often exceeds Border Patrol’s capacity to process them in a timely manner for transfer to Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” the report stated.
Border officials also said ICE, which is better equipped for longer-term detention, didn’t always have bed space to take people, and neither did some of the nonprofit shelters.