DEL RIO, Texas — Irma Rocha has worked at the Border One Stop gas station and Mexican restaurant in Del Rio for well over a year now. 

The store is known for its menudo and barbacoa, and it’s a go-to spot for those traveling to Ciudad Acuña, Mexico. 

“There’s a lot traffic in this convenience store. There’s a lot of people that live in Acuña but work here in Del Rio,” Rocha said. 

She understands English well but doesn’t speak much of it so most of her interactions are in Spanish. 

“Gracias buen día, señor [thank you, good day, sir]” Rocha said to a customer. 

The store is an earshot away from the Acuña - Del Rio International Bridge. 

“As you can see it’s the last store when the people go to Acuña. They stop and get gasoline and everything else we sell,” Rocha said.  

Acuña natives eating caldo in Del Rio on a recent afternoon. (Spectrum News 1/Jose Arredondo)

This one-stop tiendita [store] is not getting its usual heavy traffic because the border is closed due the 10,000-plus migrants, mostly Haitian, who have crossed via the Rio Grande.  According to Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano, as of Tuesday afternoon there are 8,600 migrants under the bridge.

Following Gov. Gregg Abbot’s presser along the border on Tuesday, Lozano was asked when the border would open. 

“Forty-eight to 96 hours, we are trying to reevaluate the security situation under the bridge and if they can open it again they’ll do so,” Lozano said. 

The nearest open border is in Eagle Pass — an hour away.  So what used to be a quick commute across the bridge now becomes a four-hour journey. 

The people from Acuña and Del Rio are looking forward to the reopening of the border, especially Rocha, who has to close the store hours earlier because the lack of customers. 

“Now that we have the border closed, of course it’s affecting us a lot,” Rocha said. “We are waiting for the border to reopen quickly.”