Thousands of migrants are under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas waiting for Border Patrol to pick them up

As the U.S. continues to experience a massive influx of migrants along its southern border, reports indicate that thousands of migrants are congregated under the International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas, waiting to be apprehended by U.S. border authorities.

Fox News reported that Border Patrol and law enforcement sources told the outlet that more than 4,200 people are waiting there to be apprehended after entering the U.S. The Washington Times reported that the figure is over 4,500 people, according to Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez. KENS 5 anchor and reporter Vanessa Croix tweeted, "Officials tell me close to 6,000 migrants are waiting to be processed."

"These people are basically turning themselves in to Border Patrol, and Border Patrol has no room for them at the Border Patrol station," Martinez told The Washington Times. "They're technically not in custody. They come up, they're given a ticket for placement, and they're laying around waiting for a bus to pick them up."

"It is not safe, it is not healthy, for all involved, for the people that are down there underneath the bridge. It is a situation that in my opinion has gone south and it's not going to get any better until somebody does something," he said.

The outlet reported that Martinez said that the migrants head back into Mexico to obtain food and water and then return to the U.S. camp.

"To prevent injuries from heat-related illness, the shaded area underneath Del Rio International Bridge is serving as a temporary staging site while migrants wait to be taken into USBP custody," U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement, according to news4sanantonio.com.

"Drinking water, towels, and portable toilets have been delivered for migrants to use while they await to be transported to a facility. The vast majority of single adults and many families will continue to be expelled under the CDC's Title 42 authority, and those who cannot be expelled under Title 42 and do not have a legal basis to remain will be placed in expedited removal proceedings," another portion of the statement said, according to the outlet.

Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano has indicated that an additional 20,000 migrants are "en route," for Del Rio.

While the number of southwest land border encounters had been on the rise every month this fiscal year, the August figure of 208,887 marked a slight decrease from the 213,534 encounters in July, according to data from CBP. But both figures represent a substantial spike compared to the 71,946 in October 2020.