Migrant children pictured howling in pain as they crawl through razor wire to reach the US
Gut-wrenching images taken by The Post show migrant toddlers crawling through razor wire to reach Eagle Pass, Texas, howling in pain as spikes from the wire stick into their flesh.
The photos capture the sheer desperation of the humanitarian crisis playing out on the border, with families and even a double amputee crawling through the sharp coils of wire to get a shot at claiming asylum in the US.
Migrants barely out of diapers are being dumped at the border by heartless cartels, which are using them as decoys to tie up border agents so cartel members can shift drugs and gangsters over more remote areas of the border.
Around 11,000 migrants crossed into the US across the Mexico border from Sunday to Monday, making it the “single highest day in recent memory,” according to Fox News.
Texas towns including Eagle Pass and El Paso have been flooded with thousands of people seeking refuge over the last week — pushing authorities to a breaking point.
Migrants near Eagle Pass waded through the dangerous waters of the Rio Grande — the international boundary — before getting stuck at the bottom of the riverbank for hours, unable to make their way into the US due to the concertina wire.
After nearly half a day’s wait, they became desperate and made their way up the bank. Video captured by The Post shows one Honduran woman crawling through the wire with her three sons, trying to shield them by putting her body between them and the sharp spikes.
Video captured by The Post shows the Honduran woman’s hair and clothes snagged by the razors.
With the help of other migrants who used clothes as a buffer, the mom and kids were able to turn themselves over to the US Border Patrol.
As more migrants saw that people had made it across, they too made their way into the Rio Grande, risking potential drowning. At that point Border Patrol dispatched a number of small boats to collect the migrants and bring them around the wire deterrents and onto US soil.
The migrants will then be detained and evaluated, where officers will decide if they have strong enough cases to stay in the US or will be deported.
“You can’t let an open border happen without any repercussions,” said Congressman Tony Gonzales, (R) who represents both Eagle Pass and El Paso.
He spoke at a press conference Monday just feet from the border surrounded by other Republican members of Congress.
“Everyone who is crossing that river, everyone who is crossing in between the ports of entry is coming over illegally. You should not be rewarded with work visas. They should not be rewarded with free bus rides and plane tickets everywhere.”
A man holding a toddler was also nearly swept away Sunday in the Rio Grande. Other migrants also crossing into Eagle Pass saved the man by tying a rope around him.
They formed a human chain to pull each other to safety on the US side of the river.
Among those who made it to security forces on the border was a Honduran amputee. Maria Argentina, who’s missing both legs below the knee, made the trek with her daughter, Nathalie Virginia, 2.
Fellow migrants helped pull the woman through the razor wire before she broke down in tears, after making it into the US — her third attempt after two previous tries failed.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has added multiple layers of enforcement meant to deter migrants from illegally entering the state at non-designated border crossings like riverbeds and remote stretches of scrubland. Texas National Guard members also patrol the river over the weekend in boats, and at Eagle Pass, a controversial floating barrier was constructed in the middle of the river in an effort to block migrants.
Despite the multiple layers of deterrents, migrants kept coming across by the thousands into Eagle Pass.
With a population of less than 30,000, Eagle Pass has been besieged by at least 11,500 migrants in the last week, overwhelming its resources.
For comparison, a record was set for the entire southern border when 10,000 people attempted to cross from Mexico in a single day in May.
“The local hospital is spending $100,000 a month on health care for folks that are coming over illegally,” Gonzales added.
“That’s over $1 million [annually.] You heard from Eagle Pass Mayor Salinas that he feels abandoned. Many people who live on the border feel abandoned.”
Mayor Rolando Salinas told The Post that authorities were bracing for “anywhere between 4,000 to 9,000 migrants” at the end of last week.
“I’ve never seen people cross like this,” said Salinas, a lifelong resident.
The Congressional delegation also toured the Border Patrol facility in town. Meant to hold 1,000 migrants, up to 5,000 people were crammed into the detention center Monday, lawmakers explained.
The migrant mobs forced the closure of one of the town’s two international bridges, costing the city $15,000 a day.
Law enforcement sources have previously told The Post the mass crossings — which are taking place across the entire southern border — are fueled by cartels that purposely want to overwhelm American border enforcement.
“I’m demanding that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and the rest of the folks in the White House get up and see what’s happening and fix this problem now,” said Texas Congressman Ronny Jackson.
James Keivom for NY Post
