The Del Río–Ciudad Acuña International Bridge is an international

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

which crosses the Rio Grande connecting the

United States-Mexico border United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

cities of Del Rio, Texas and

Ciudad Acuña Ciudad Acuña, also known simply as Acuña, (originally Garza Galán, later Villa Acuña) is a city located in the Mexican state of Coahuila, at and a mean height above sea level of . It stands on the Rio Grande (locally known as the Río Br ...

. The bridge is also known as "Del Río International Bridge", "Puente Acuña" and "Puente Ciudad Acuña-Ciudad Del Río".TxDOT Transportation Planning; Border Crossings
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Description

The American side of the Del Río–Ciudad Acuña International Bridge is currently owned by the City of Del Rio, which also manages it. The bridge was constructed in 1930 and rebuilt in 1987. The bridge is four-lane wide by long and includes two sidewalks for pedestrians.

Border crossing

The Del Rio Texas Port of Entry is located at the Del Río – Ciudad Acuña International Bridge. The current port of entry facility was rebuilt by the

General Services Administration The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. gover ...

in 2004.

2021 Del Rio Bridge migrant surge

In mid-September 2021, a large group of migrants, almost all from Haiti, attempted to enter the U.S. by crossing the shallow Rio Grande and seeking shelter beneath the bridge, where they lived in unhealthy conditions. The crowd grew from a few hundred to thousands within a week, initially overwhelming authorities. By September 24, 2021, all of the approximately 15,000 migrants were cleared from their encampment underneath the bridge: the

U.S. Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

reported that about 8,000 migrants "decided to return to Mexico voluntarily"; 2,000 migrants were expelled to Haiti on 17 DHS-organized flights, and 5,000 were placed in DHS processing "to determine whether they will be expelled or placed in immigration

removal proceedings Removal proceedings are administrative proceedings to determine an individual's removability under United States immigration law. Removal proceedings are typically conducted in Immigration Court (the Executive Office for Immigration Review) by an ...

." The U.S. authorities sought to deter more people from rushing the border.Thousands of Haitian Migrants to Stay in U.S.
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021. Some of the migrants are applying for asylum in the U.S. Of those permitted to remain in the U.S. pending hearings (a process that could take several years due to persistent

immigration court The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) is a sub-agency of the United States Department of Justice whose chief function is to conduct removal proceedings in immigration courts and adjudicate appeals arising from the proceedings. These ...

backlogs), some were permitted to go to New York, Boston and Miami.Haitian migrants from border camp moved to Houston, other cities, US officials confirm
,

KHOU KHOU (channel 11) is a television station in Houston, Texas, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Conroe-licensed Quest station KTBU (channel 55). Both stations share studios on Westheimer Road near Uptow ...

. September 22, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021. The Biden administration's handling of the migrants was criticized by both immigration advocates (who pressed for more migrants to be allowed to stay in the U.S.) and conservatives (who referred to the incident as Whip Gate).

References

International bridges in Texas International bridges in Coahuila Toll bridges in Texas Bridges completed in 1930 Buildings and structures in Val Verde County, Texas Transportation in Val Verde County, Texas Road bridges in Texas Toll bridges in Mexico Del Rio, Texas {{Texas-bridge-struct-stub