Federal law enforcement officials reportedly let two of the instigators of the attempted breach of the U.S.-Mexico border at El Paso go, according to El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks. The news comes amid new concerns about border security after 2023 broke an all-time record of the number of attempted border crossings.
Hicks’ office charged nine individuals for their role in the riot. However, two were set free by federal law enforcement officials.
“While I’m not particularly concerned about immigration cases, I am concerned about violence and destruction of property, and that group moved forward in a way that caused damage to National Guardsmen,” said Hicks.
“Guardsmen were punched in the face, they stomped on the knees of Guardsmen that can result in permanent injuries; one tried to get a gun away from a Guardsman – we don’t have to talk about how dangerous that is,” said the district attorney.
Last month dozens of migrants attempted to cross the border with some attacking members of the Texas National Guard. Texas has sent a special force as part of Operation Lone Star to stem the flow of illegal immigrants into the state.
Some of the migrants shoved the members of the National Guard, while at least one attempted to seize a rifle out of a soldier’s hands.
Some of the migrants made it through one border security checkpoint before being halted at a second. Hundreds of illegal aliens have been arrested for their role in the riot.
JUST IN: ⚠️ Texas National Guard RETAKES the border in El Paso, Texas DEFYING federal government’s requests..
DEVELOPING..
Razor-wire wall is now being constructed to stop the flow of ILLEGAL migrants..
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) April 2, 2024
Since starting Operation Lone Star, the state has stemmed much of the flow of illegal immigrants at Eagle Pass, Texas. However, some of the migrants are now attempting to cross in new locations, including California and Arizona.
Last year saw a new record of attempted crossings into the United States. In 2023, more than three million migrants attempted to enter the United States, the first time the figure has been exceeded. December 2023 also saw the number of attempted crossings surpass 300,000 for the first time.
The flow of migrants has increased considerably since President Joe Biden took office in 2021. Furthermore, the rate of illegal immigrant crossings increased significantly after the White House announced the end of the Title 42 asylum policy of former President Donald Trump.
