Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar calls for 'tougher measures at the border'

Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas is calling for "tougher measures at the border."

The lawmaker, who was the victim of a carjacking in Washington, D.C., earlier this year, is calling for securing the nation's border.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a statement on Sunday that declared, "After observing a recent resurgence of smuggling organizations moving migrants through Mexico via freight trains, CBP is taking additional actions to surge personnel and address this concerning development, including in partnership with Mexican authorities."

"Beginning December 18, 2023 at 8:00 AM local time, CBP’s Office of Field Operations will temporarily suspend operations at the international railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas in order to redirect personnel to assist the U.S. Border Patrol with taking migrants into custody," CBP noted in the statement.

"Over the past several weeks, CBP has made a number of operational adjustments in order to maximize our ability to respond, process, and enforce consequences. In Eagle Pass, vehicular processing remains suspended at Eagle Pass International Bridge 1. In San Diego, California, San Ysidro’s Pedestrian West operations remain suspended. In Lukeville, Arizona, the Lukeville Port of Entry remains closed," the statement reads.

Cuellar responded to the news by declaring, "The crisis at our border is seriously affecting legitimate trade."

"This year alone, vehicle and rail operations have been suspended at multiple ports of entry due to an overwhelming number of migrants, worsening delays for truck drivers transporting goods and costing our economy millions," he noted. "Our border communities desperately need more federal resources, and we need tougher measures at the border. We must secure the border now," the congressman added.

According to data on the CBP website, there were more than 240,000 southwest land border encounters in October — after there had been nearly 270,000 in September.

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