Unrest as migrants gather along the border in El Paso
Update: Customs and Border Protection issued the following statement on the situation at the border today.
"There are consequences to crossing the border illegally, and CBP continues to enforce United States immigration laws. Individuals and families without a legal basis to remain in the U.S. are subject to removal, and are subject to a minimum five-year bar on reapplying for admission and potential criminal prosecution if they subsequently re-enter without authorization. No one should believe the lies of smugglers; individuals and families without a legal basis to remain in the United States will be removed.
As of 3 p.m. local time, all migrants from this group have been moved from the site. Additional personnel have been deployed to the scene, and the situation is under control. The U.S. Border Patrol continues to monitor the situation and has increased patrols in the area."
CBP
Texas Governor Greg Abbott also spoke out, posting on social media about the situation.
About the surge of illegal immigrants in El Paso:
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) March 21, 2024
The TX National Guard & Dept. of Public Safety quickly regained control & are redoubling the razor wire barriers.
DPS is instructed to arrest every illegal immigrant involved for criminal trespass & destruction of property.
Update: Reporters at the border recorded as migrants rushed past a temporary barrier to gather right in front of the border barrier yesterday. Today, reporters also saw unrest among a group of migrants along the border.
Update: Rep. Tony Gonzales republished a social media post including a video of unrest at the border in El Paso.
There is nothing “safe and orderly” about this.
— Rep. Tony Gonzales (@RepTonyGonzales) March 21, 2024
It’s a BREAK IN.
It’s ILLEGAL.
And there need to be CONSEQUENCES. https://t.co/9NtwVHWIKj
ABC-7 has obtained a portion of the video showing the unrest from our news partners Canal 44 in Juarez.
JUAREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- The number of migrant encounters in the El Paso sector has gone up in March compared to the first two months of 2024.
According to U.S. Border Patrol Spokesman Agent Orlando Marrero-Rubio, they've been averaging a total of 921 migrant encounters daily in March.
The El Paso sector is comprised of several U.S. Border Patrol stations that go from Fort Hancock, Texas to Lordsburg, New Mexico.
According to Agent Marrero-Rubio, in this same timeframe in Fiscal Year 2023, they had over 192,000 encounters. This year's fiscal year, they've had so far 96,000; that's a 50.2% decrease compared to last year.
On Monday, groups of about 200 migrants were seen on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande in front of the Border Safety Initiative (BSI) #36.
They were in front of the fence and razor wire placed by the Texas National Guard waiting to be allowed in U.S. land to turn themselves in to U.S. Immigration officials.
ABC-7 reached out to the Texas Military Department to learn why they had migrants in front of the fence, but we have not heard back from them.
