QUEMADO, Texas — Border Patrol officials in the Del Rio Sector said the Eagle Pass area is feeling the strain of a major influx of large groups of migrants, mostly entering the U.S. in rural areas.
Kate Hobbs’ owns a farm about 20 miles outside of Eagle Pass in Quemado where she said in the last few months she’s seen groups of over 100 crossing through her property at all hours.
“At any time of the day it could happen-- or night,” said Hobbs. “We had another 60 this morning. Night before last, there was another hundred, then we had another 150 or 60 the day before that.”
Over three days the first weekend in December, Border Patrol officials said agents encountered over 3,500 migrants across the Del Rio Sector.
“I would say the vast majority of those were coming through our farm,” said Hobbs.
Hobbs and her husband grow onions and melons at their farm that runs more than seven miles along the Texas Mexico border. Her property just off Hwy 277 is near Eagle Pass, the area, officials said, the new hot spot for crossings in the Del Rio Sector.
Hobbs said the proximity to the river, and the smooth terrain makes her property a popular place for migrants to cross into the U.S.
"They only need to come through about five feet of cane, and then it's pristine farm, beautiful, nice roads, the whole nine yards. They just walk on in," said Hobbs.
We first met Hobbs at her farm earlier in the year when she made a shocking discovery on her farm.
“Mother's Day will be the anniversary of when I found the little girls,” said Hobbs.
Five little girls were abandoned overnight on her farm, and left to fend for themselves.
And now, Hobbs said these large groups could have a major impact on their livelihood.
“We have a lot of anxiety about the future of farming down here,” said Hobbs. “They've been plodding over our onion fields, which are just now starting to come up. My husband, 75, is not in the best health. He was down there yesterday herding them out of the field.”
Hobbs said she also fears the uncertainty with the large groups that could be a threat to her family’s safety.
“It's just always in the back of your mind. It's like, you know, someone coming through your backyard all the time,” said Hobbs. “You don't know who these people are. You don't know anything about them.”
In the last few months, Del Rio Sector Border Patrol officials said agents have apprehended convicted felons, sex offenders, and MS-13 gang members, and found weapons abandoned alongside the river.
“This is life in open borders,” said Hobbs who added she sees no end in sight as the groups continue to cross and fears for the future of her family’s farm and safety.
“There's really nowhere to go,” said Hobbs. “This is our home, we're old. What do you do when you've got everything invested here?.”
Agents in the Del Rio Sector encountered over 28,000 migrants in October, according to Border Patrol officials.
In the last few months, officials said agents encountered migrants from 50 different countries, including Eritrea, Tajikstan, and Syria.