As the end of the COVID-19 Title 42 authority approaches, almost 2,000 migrants crossed the Rio Grande from Matamoros, Mexico, hoping to be released, as thunderstorms struck the border region.

Border Patrol agents and local authorities struggled to move the majority of Venezuelan migrants out of the harsh weather. A source within Customs and Border Protection (CBP), not authorized to speak to the media, revealed that migrant crossings have been steadily increasing every day.

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Breitbart Texas reported that over 1,600 migrants were apprehended in a single 24-hour period that ended on Sunday. Since then, the source said nearly 7,000 migrants have crossed into Brownsville, negatively impacting detention capabilities along the southwest border.

More than 19,000 migrants are currently in temporary detention facilities awaiting processing, with over 7,000 being held in detention facilities within the Texas Rio Grande Valley. To address the surge of migrants, Border Patrol agents from Laredo were dispatched to Brownsville to assist with processing the arriving migrants.

The source told Breitbart that nearly 2,000 migrants crossed on Thursday alone, and after crossing the Rio Grande, the migrants gathered near a make-shift intake center where biographical information was taken, and personal property was inventoried.

A mobile command center arrived at the make-shift intake center to assist in the arduous task of receiving the large number of migrants surrendering near the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Campus. The Border Patrol placed portable bathroom facilities at the intake center to accommodate the increased migrant crossings. As transportation resources become available, the migrants are transported from the intake center to processing centers in multiple areas in the Texas Rio Grande Valley.

In Matamoros, Mexico, law enforcement authorities seemed to show little concern as a constant flow of migrants crossed into the United States. Breitbart Texas reported that officers with Mexico’s National Institute of Migration watched as migrants crossed the Rio Grande into Texas, taking no action to impede the crossings. During a visit to a migrant encampment in Matamoros, Breitbart Texas observed several groups of migrants using inflatable air mattresses to ford the Rio Grande after being charged a fee.

The surge in migrants crossing the Rio Grande has been attributed to the end of the COVID-19 Title 42 authority, which allowed Border Patrol to rapidly expel migrants to prevent the spread of COVID-19. President Joe Biden’s administration announced the end of the policy on November 18, 2021. Migrant advocates and other groups have urged the administration to end the policy, arguing it is harmful to migrants and violates their rights.

Despite the surge in migrants, CBP continues to apprehend criminals attempting to cross into the United States. On Thursday, Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley sector apprehended a Mexican national who had been previously convicted of sexual assault of a child. The agents discovered the man near Roma, Texas, and subsequently arrested him.