Thousands of Haitian migrants are being held under a bridge in Texas

Haitian migrants on their way to the United States.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Thousands of migrants — a vast majority of them from Haiti — are sheltering under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas, as they wait to be processed by U.S. authorities, officials said Thursday.

It's estimated that about 10,000 migrants are under the bridge, an official with knowledge of the matter told ABC News. In a statement, Customs and Border Protection said it is increasing the number of agents in the Del Rio Sector and "coordinating efforts within [the Department of Homeland Security] and other relevant federal, state, and local partners to immediately address the current level of migrant encounters and to facilitate a safe, humane, and orderly process."

CBP said the migrants are in a shaded area in order to "prevent injuries from heat-related illness," and "drinking water, towels, and portable toilets have been delivered for migrants to use while they await to be transported to a facility."

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Republicans in Texas are blaming the influx of migrants on President Biden, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R) calling it "a man-made crisis." In August, CBP apprehended more than 208,000 people at the southern border, down 4,000 from July.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.