Biden Administration Accused of ‘Abandoning’ Eagle Pass, Texas, by its Mayor

Amid the influx of thousands of migrants pouring into the border town of Eagle Pass, Texas, Mayor Rolando Salinas Jr. said his city has been “abandoned” by the Biden administration and, furthermore, he “100%” believes the president bears “some responsibility for this crisis.”

Salinas declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, prompting Biden to send 800 new troops to the border. But Salinas, a Democrat, has not heard from the White House as an estimated 4,000 migrants crossed over into Eagle Pass, situated on the Rio Grande, on Wednesday alone.

Salinas was expecting up to another 13,000 to cross over by Friday.

“I will be honest with you. I believe 100% he does bear some responsibility for this crisis,” Salinas told CNN on Thursday. “I haven’t heard from anybody in the administration. The president hasn’t put out a statement, the vice president. I haven’t heard from anybody.

“Nobody bothered to call me,” Salinas added. “We are on the border asking for help. This is unacceptable. Just enforce the laws that are on the books. We are a nation of laws. That’s all I ask for is that it shouldn’t be like this.”

The 800 troops deployed by Biden are not there for enforcement. Instead, they’re there helping with “logistics and other functions,” the adminstration said. They join the contingent of 2,500 state National Guardsmen and roughly 24,000 border agents.

Eagle Pass, a city of 30,000, is trying to deal with the strain. Salinas said he was forced to shut down the local international bridge between Mexico and Texas, also shutting down toll revenue on which the city relies.

“It’s become a big concern for the community,” Salinas said of his city. “A lot of these people are being let loose in the community, walking around. And it’s just a big concern for the city of Eagle Pass. Not only safetywise, but also our local economy is taking a hit. Because of this crisis, we have to shut down the bridge.”

Eagle Pass is also the epicenter of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star border security program, which includes a floating barrier of buoys in the Rio Grande. It also includes miles of razor wire fences, some of which Biden’s Border Patrol cut.

“I immediately deployed more Texas National Guard to repel illegal crossings & install more razor wire,” Abbott posted on XWednesday.

The influx of migrants comes as the Biden administration announced it was expanding Temporary Protected Status to nearly 500,000 Venezuelans already in the country. The program does not apply to new arrivals.

“If you want to come here, good; come legally,” Salinas said. “A lot of people have in the past. It takes a lot of money and years to do it the right way. And it’s not fair for those people that now we have thousands of people coming in, without one single consequence. It’s just not fair.”