The Paso del Norte International Bridge is an international bridge which crosses the Rio Grande (Río Bravo) 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

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the ...

, and

Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua Ciudad () is the Spanish word for City Ciudad may also refer to: *La Ciudad (archaeological site), Hohokam ruins in Phoenix, Arizona *La Ciudad, district of Durango City, Mexico *''La ciudad'', novel by Mario Levrero 1970 *La Ciudad ''The City'' ...

. The bridge is also known as "Paso del Norte Bridge", "Santa Fe Street Bridge", "Puente Benito Juárez", "Puente Paso del Norte" and "Puente Juárez-Santa Fe". The Paso del Norte International Bridge is a four-lane bridge for northbound non-commercial traffic only. The bridge was constructed in 1967. The American side of the bridge is owned and operated by the City of El Paso. On March 26, 2019, dozens of

illegal immigrants Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwa ...

were captured by

United States Customs and Border Protection United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilit ...

agents, who had insufficient space for them in local holding facilities. So they erected chainlink fencing and

concertina wire Concertina wire or Dannert wire is a type of barbed wire or razor wire that is formed in large coils which can be expanded like a concertina. In conjunction with plain barbed wire (and/or razor wire/tape) and steel pickets, it is most ofte ...

under the bridge to construct a "transitional shelter" to detain them. As of March 30, hundreds of immigrants were sleeping on dirt and rocks, with mylar blankets, portable toilets and plastic portable sinks. By mid-June, conditions had worsened, with between 100 and 150 detainees reporting most have been held for over a month, without being allowed to bathe or change clothing, in temperatures exceeding .

Border crossing

The El Paso Paso del Norte (PDN) Port of Entry is among the United States' busiest border crossings. More than 10 million people enter the US from Mexico each year at this location. Upon arrival, the admissibility of each person is determined by an officer of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Frequently the vehicle and/or possessions of those entering the US are inspected by CBP in an effort to prevent contraband from being brought into the US.

References

{{coord, 31, 44, 51.54, N, 106, 29, 13.12, W, display=title International bridges in Texas International bridges in Chihuahua (state) Toll bridges in Texas Bridges completed in 1998 Buildings and structures in El Paso, Texas Transportation in El Paso, Texas Road bridges in Texas Toll bridges in Mexico Transportation buildings and structures in El Paso County, Texas