Central American Migrant Caravan in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico Mentioned in President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union Address

By: Miguel Munoz, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2019

During his February 5, 2019 State of the Union Address by President Donald J. Trump, President Trump mentioned the Central American Migrant Caravan that arrived in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico on February 4, 2019 at the United States-Mexico border.

President Trump stated “we have just heard that Mexican cities, in order to remove the illegal immigrants from their communities, are getting trucks and buses to bring them up to our country in areas where there is little border protection. I have ordered another 3,750 troops to our southern border to prepare for the tremendous onslaught.”

President Trump was referring to State of Coahuila authorities hiring charter buses to transport a large Central American Migrant Caravan of over 1,800 people from Saltillo, Coahuila to the border City of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, across from Eagle Pass, Texas.  

Although President Trump did not specifically state the name of the City of Piedras Negras, Coahuila speech, Trump was referring to the just arrived newest Central American Migrant Caravan to the United States-Mexico border in Piedras Negras, Coahuila.

President Trump added that “this is a moral issue. The lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security and financial well-being of all America. We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens. This includes our obligation to the milllions of immigrants living here today, who followed the rules and respected our laws.”

President Trump added that “My Administration has sent to Congress a common sense proposal to end the crisis on the Southern Border. It includes humanitarian assistance, more law enforcement, drug detection at our ports, closing loopholes that enable child smuggling, and plans for a new physical barrier, or wall, to secure the vast areas between our ports of entry. In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall. But the proper wall was never built. I will get it built. This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier–not just a simple concrete wall. It will be deployed in the areas identified by border agents as having the greatest need,…”

President Trump added that the “border city of El Paso, Texas, used to have extremely high rates of violent crime–one of the highest in the entire country, and considered one of our nation’s most dangerous cities. Now, immediately upon its building, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of the safest cities in our country.”  The City of El Paso, Texas authorities dispute President Trump’s characterization of their border city as having one of the highest crime rates before the building of a border wall in the city as completely false and inaccurate. Rather, El Paso officials state that their city has had one of the lowest crime rates in the nation before and after the border wall being built in their city. 

Regrettably, President Trump did not mention that both U.S. and Mexican security in Piedras Negras, Coahuila and in Eagle Pass, Texas is at an all-time high, maximum alert as a result of this Central American Migrant Caravan’s arrival to the U.S.-Mexico border. 

In Piedras Negras, Coahuila, the Central American Migrants are being housed and processed at two former maquiladora assembly plant warehouses secured by fences and strong local, state, and federal security forces, including the military.

In Eagle Pass, Texas, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in collaboration with local, county, and state authorities have a maximum security alert with over 100 Customs and Border Protection Officers guarding the two Eagle Pass international bridges in riot gear with tear gas and rubber bullets, if necessary, over 100 U.S. Border Patrol Agents guarding the Rio Grande River, including a helicopter, and over 500 Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers and helicopter patrolling all the roads on the Texas-Mexico border along Eagle Pass-Piedras Negras.  U.S. security measures are heightened at maximum levels previously unseen on the Eagle Pass-Piedras Negras border. 

 Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber noted that he personally visited the Central American Migrant Caravan temporary housing location in Piedras Negras, Coahuila at the request of federal and state authorities and that Mexico was handling the humanitarian crisis in a competent and safe manner without a security threat to the United States.

A majority of the Central American migrants seek to apply for political asylum in the United States which is legal under American immigration law. 

Although President Trump did not provide all the facts and details of the Central American Migrant Caravan in Piedras Negras, Coahuila during his State of the Union address, it appears that their is not any security threat to the United States from this newest Central American Migrant Caravan at the U.S.-Mexico border as both Mexico and United States have implemented maximum security measures to foil any threat.

President Trump will hold a campaign-style rally in El Paso, Texas on Monday, February 11, 2019 while thousands of El Pasoans are holding a counter-protest rally with local leaders and dignitaries, including former Congressman Beto O’Rourke.