CBP Officers Temporarily Close South Texas Border Crossing Amid Immigration Policy Changes

Border crossers interviewed by Border Report were surprised after more than a dozen U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in riot gear temporarily closed an international bridge in Brownsville, Texas, on Tuesday.

Closure Causes Confusion

The closure of the Gateway International Bridge, however brief, caused confusion due to its timing. It happened one day after President Donald Trump issued multiple immigration and border security-related executive orders. Witnesses also reported the agents marching along nearby streets.

A U.S. citizen from Brownsville who was waiting for his wife to cross the border into the town was reportedly screamed at by officers ordering him to "get out of here" without offering him an explanation. "I have never seen anything like this," he told Border Report. "They were really rude."

Timing of the Exercise

According to a CBP official, the officers were simply performing a regular exercise. However, the news outlet, which focuses primarily on the southern border, reported that CBP officers marching on city streets is something that has only been seen during Trump's first presidency.

Trump signed on Monday a collection of executive orders targeting immigration policy. One of them reinstated the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), popularly known as the Remain in Mexico policy. Another order also cancelled CBP One app appointments and asylum applications, leaving thousands of migrants stranded on the Mexico border without knowing what to expect.

Early Remain in Mexico Policy Effects

The MPP policy, first issued during Trump's first administration, ordered thousands of migrants to stay in Mexico while their asylum cases were reviewed. This caused the overflow of local migrant shelters and the creation of makeshift migrant camps near international ports of entry.

As of Tuesday, local shelters in Matamoros and Reynosa, Mexico were reporting an uptick in asylum-seekers requesting shelter, per Border Report. A significant trend among the growing number of individuals hoping to cross the border is a lack of information about Trump's recent executive orders. Many migrants remain unaware of the cancellation of their asylum appointments and applications, and some are reportedly still holding out hope that President Trump will provide a legal pathway for them to enter the United States.