Immigration in Laredo: Another Port of Entry 

Laredo, Texas, although not the focus of mainstream immigration media, remains a port for immigrants from Mexico to the United States. A rich Mexican-influenced culture juxtaposes a struggling border town, where abandoned budlings and empty stores line the historic streets.  

The media have thoroughly investigated Eagle Pass, Texas after the surge of migration in December of 2023, but other border towns are still active. Laredo is just over two and a half hours southeast of Eagle Pass, spaced by acres of farmland and wild cactus. Border Patrol agents work the checkpoints and question all vehicles concerning their destination, origins and citizenship status.  

The entrance to Laredo is abrupt after hours of driving through ranch land. From the freeway, Laredo welcomes its guests and residents with tall buildings and corporate businesses. Tucked away off the freeway are the historic streets of Laredo which expose the rich Mexican influence that blurs the cultural divide between the two border towns, Laredo, and Nuevo Laredo in Mexico.     

A clothing store called Fashion Outlet lies in the center of the town just across from City Hall and around the corner from the Laredo Police Department. Maggie Salasa, who has worked at the Fashion Outlet for more than 20 years, said the town is struggling with crime and her store has been the most recent victim.  

In the last month, all the windows of the Fashion Outlet have been broken and the store robbed more than once. Each time the store reports an incident to the police, the Fashion Outlet is faced with covering the entire cost of new windows. To Salasa’s knowledge, no one has been arrested.    

“We could be doing better if we received the help,” said Salasa.  

Less than five miles south of the Fashion Outlet lies the U.S./Mexico border. On U.S. soil, an outlet mall and a small public park line the shores of the Rio Grande. Just across the river, on Mexican soil, people gather on the unmanicured riverbank to fish and spend time with their family.  

While immigration through Eagle Pass has slowed significantly since December, people are still highly active in Laredo. Over the river, a car will drive onto the riverbank and drop off migrants who are prepared to cross illegally. Within 15 to 20 seconds, migrants wade through the knee-deep water and are picked up by a vehicle in a small gravel parking lot near John Peter and Consuelo Montalvo Los Tres Laredos Park. Often these migrant crossings are cartel operations, according to Laredo Border Patrol.  

Some migrants are crossing to buy products in the U.S. and sell them in Mexico, according to Sandra Bernal, an employee at a local Laredo restaurant, El Mesón de San Agustín.  

“They need to educate our customs brokers because they are very passive aggressive [toward migrants],” said Bernal. “They need to realize that these people are spending thousands of dollars to come here.”   

Many items sold in the U.S. like clothing and bags are inaccessible in Mexico and are often only sold through private sellers. The sellers buy items at retail price in the U.S. and resell them for greater than market value in Mexico.  

“I work here [at the restaurant] and I have a second job at the mall,” said Bernal. “I kid you not, if there’s a holiday, you cannot cross the bridge because it’s packed full of people.”  

Other migrants are coming across to seek asylum but are met with the reality that asylum hearings are being scheduled two to three years in advance, according to Eagle Pass Sheriff Tom Schmerber. Thus, the number of illegal crossings has increased in the last two years and has only recently slowed in Eagle Pass due to the militarization of Shelby Park.

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This project was created through a journalism class at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Journalism, Advertising and Media Studies Department. This work was made possible through the support of MPC Endowment Ltd., the philanthropic affiliate of the Milwaukee Press Club.