The mayor of Del Rio, Texas posted a YouTube video in which he urged the Biden administration to stop releasing migrants awaiting court dates into his town. Citing recent winter storms, power outages, and lack of access to food, the mayor claimed that Del Rio did not have the means to safely accommodate the migrants, especially in the midst of a pandemic.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announces that a 32-year-old U.S. citizen has died in government custody. The man, James Markowitz, was apprehended near the Brackettville, Texas, Border Patrol station after being identified as a suspect in an “alien smuggling incident,” according to CBP. The agency did not identify the man’s illness, symptoms, or cause of death, and did not immediately provide the circumstances of Markowitz’s arrest or the allegations against him.
CBP and ICElaunch a pilot program to collect DNA of U.S. citizens, permanent residents holding a “green card,” asylum seekers, and people entering the country without authorization when detained by Border Patrol. Starting January 13, CBP will collect swabs from people apprehended at the Canadian border near Detroit, Michigan, and at the official port of entry in Eagle Pass, Texas. The pilot program will last 90 days, subjects as young as 14 will be tested, and there are plans to expand nationwide.
