The western edge of Eagle Pass, Texas, is layered with a border wall and fencing, a large field, the Rio Grande River, and a military presence before you can see Mexico.”Our city is a safe city,” said Ronnie Rivera, the public relations director for the city of Eagle Pass. But Rivera is the first to acknowledge how hard December was when Customs and Border Protection saw illegal migrant encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border top 300,000 people.”Numbers were uncontrollable,” Rivera said. “But unfortunately the video taken in December is still being played today. The perception is large numbers are still crossing in Eagle Pass and that’s not true.”Rivera credits the U.S. and Mexican governments working together, along with the military presence in Shelby Park, which borders Mexico. That presence includes State of Texas law enforcement, CBP, and several national guards, including Nebraska’s. “That’s helped deter illegal crossings,” he said. “They don’t want obstacles to cross into the U.S. — so whatever’s been done – obviously it’s worked.”Rivera said the National Guard’s presence contributes to the city’s feeling of safety and has also contributed to an economic boom. The city said the last thing it wants is for one or both of its two legal border crossings to close. According to Rivera, the legal border-crossing economy accounts for about 50% of the city’s yearly revenue. “When the bridges close, it means we’re headed for a disaster,” he said. “We really want the federal government to keep them open.” Rivera said that when they were forced to close one bridge, the wait time to get across the border was about 12 hours. On Tuesday, sister station KETV rode with the Nebraska National Guard to get a first-hand look at their operations during their 90-day deployment to the U.S.-Mexico border.
The western edge of Eagle Pass, Texas, is layered with a border wall and fencing, a large field, the Rio Grande River, and a military presence before you can see Mexico.
“Our city is a safe city,” said Ronnie Rivera, the public relations director for the city of Eagle Pass.
But Rivera is the first to acknowledge how hard December was when Customs and Border Protection saw illegal migrant encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border top 300,000 people.
“Numbers were uncontrollable,” Rivera said. “But unfortunately the video taken in December is still being played today. The perception is large numbers are still crossing in Eagle Pass and that’s not true.”
Rivera credits the U.S. and Mexican governments working together, along with the military presence in Shelby Park, which borders Mexico.
That presence includes State of Texas law enforcement, CBP, and several national guards, including Nebraska’s.
“That’s helped deter illegal crossings,” he said. “They don’t want obstacles to cross into the U.S. — so whatever’s been done – obviously it’s worked.”
Rivera said the National Guard’s presence contributes to the city’s feeling of safety and has also contributed to an economic boom.
The city said the last thing it wants is for one or both of its two legal border crossings to close. According to Rivera, the legal border-crossing economy accounts for about 50% of the city’s yearly revenue.
“When the bridges close, it means we’re headed for a disaster,” he said. “We really want the federal government to keep them open.”
Rivera said that when they were forced to close one bridge, the wait time to get across the border was about 12 hours.
On Tuesday, sister station KETV rode with the Nebraska National Guard to get a first-hand look at their operations during their 90-day deployment to the U.S.-Mexico border.
