New images were released on Saturday morning from the crisis in Del Rio, Texas, where well over 10,000 illegal immigrants have amassed under a bridge in recent days.
The new images come from Fox News’s drone coverage of the crisis. The Biden administration moved to shut down drones from operating in the area this week as Fox News ran extensive coverage showing the crisis. The network later obtained a waiver from the FAA to continue flying over the area after public backlash.
Fox News national correspondent Bill Melguin, who has reported live from the crisis for several days now, released new images and photos showing hundreds of migrants pouring into the U.S. by simply walking across the Rio Grande.
“I am absolutely stunned by what I’m witnessing right now,” Melugin said. “We are on a boat in the Rio Grande near the Del Rio international bridge and we are watching as masses of hundreds of migrants walk across the river from Mexico and stream into the US illegally.”
BREAKING: I am absolutely stunned by what I’m witnessing right now. We are on a boat in the Rio Grande near the Del Rio international bridge and we are watching as masses of hundreds of migrants walk across the river from Mexico and stream into the US illegally. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/xXE4pDkpIe
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 18, 2021
We’re on a boat heading to the area near the international bridge in Del Rio, & as we’re on the way, there are multiple areas where migrants are crossing the Rio Grande into the US illegally. We’ve seen several of the migrants bathing in the river before walking into US @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/PfUcSvipRE
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 18, 2021
Melugin later tweeted out images from the Fox News drone that appeared to show that the number of illegal immigrants that had amassed under the bridge had grown significantly. Melugin reported live on Fox News that sources told him that the number of illegal immigrants had grown from a little over 10,000 to more than 13,000.
BREAKING: Our @FoxNews drone is back over the international bridge in Del Rio, where it appears the mass of migrants has expanded once again.
Stunning visuals. More than 11,000 under the bridge as of yesterday w/ more streaming in. Expect that number to be bigger today. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/phnep2MWz8— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 18, 2021
The Associated Press reported on Friday that the administration was allegedly planning to conduct a “widescale expulsion” of the illegal immigrants from Del Rio. It remains to be seen what the administration will actually do or when they will get around to doing it.
“Details are yet to be finalized but will likely involve five to eight flights a day, according to the official with direct knowledge of the plans who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity,” the AP reported. “San Antonio, the nearest major city, may be among the departure cities.”
The new crisis in Del Rio comes amid back-to-back months of Border Patrol recording well over 200,000 encounters with illegal aliens on the U.S. Southern Border.
The Biden administration announced late on Friday that it was moving to temporarily shut down the Del Rio Port of Entry along the Texas-Mexico border due to the dire situation on the border.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection today announced that the Office of Field Operations (OFO) Del Rio Port of Entry will temporarily close and re-route traffic from Del Rio to Eagle Pass to more effectively manage resources and ensure uninterrupted flow of trade and travel,” the agency said in a statement. “This temporary closure and shift is necessary in order for CBP to respond to urgent safety and security needs presented by an influx of migrants into Del Rio and is effective immediately.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) slammed the administration while visiting the border last week, saying that the situation was “lawless, and it is inviting suffering.”