Thousands of Migrants Swelter in Makeshift Tents and Slum Conditions at Del Rio Bridge

Migrants in Del Rio, Texas, endured squalid conditions as the state’s governor, Greg Abbott, sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Monday, September 20, requesting an emergency declaration of what he called an “ongoing border crisis” in the state.

This footage, posted to Twitter by Julio Rosas, shows the conditions faced by the migrants – many from Haiti – under the Del Rio International Bridge.

An estimated 16,000 migrants had arrived to be processed at the border by September 18, the governor said. The mayor of Del Rio, Bruno Lazano, issued a local disaster declaration on September 17, while the Department of Homeland Security announced a strategy on September 18 that includes deploying 400 additional agents to Del Rio to “ensure that irregular migrants are swiftly taken into custody, processed, and removed from the United States consistent with our laws and policy.” Credit: Julio Rosas via Storyful