Checkpoints in Laredo left unmanned after Border Patrol agents redirected to Del Rio, report says

Checkpoints on I-35, Highway 359 and Highway 83 were temporarily shut down Friday evening

Border Patrol agent Eric Mendoza speaks to the driver of a tractor-trailer passing through the Laredo North vehicle checkpoint in Laredo, Texas. (AP Photo/Nomaan Merchant) (Nomaan Merchant, Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

LAREDO – Multiple checkpoints in Laredo are temporarily shut down and unmanned after several Border Patrol agents were reassigned to Del Rio in response to a surge of thousands of migrants crossing the Mexico border, according to a report from KGNS.

The migrants, mostly Haitian, gathered under and around the international bridge between Del Rio and Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, on Friday after authorities closed it off to halt traffic.

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U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar confirmed to KGNS that the I-35, Highway 359 and Highway 83 checkpoints were closed off temporarily around 6 p.m., and that it was a decision from the Federal Government.

Drivers are still able to travel in and out of Laredo, but for now, they can bypass the checkpoints, according to KGNS.

A total of 400 agents were sent to Del Rio in response to the influx of migrants, though it’s unclear how many were sent from Laredo, according to KGNS.

It’s unclear though if the checkpoint closures will last through the weekend. We’ll bring more updates to this story as they become available.

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About the Author:

Cody King is a digital journalist for KSAT 12. She previously worked for WICS/WRSP 20 in Springfield, Illinois.