An El Paso judge issued a ruling on Easter Sunday to release illegal migrants accused of participating in a border riot that occurred earlier in the month. The judge accused the El Paso District Attorney’s Office of not being prepared for detention hearings for the defendants and ordered their release on their own recognizance. It is unclear how many migrants were booked on charges of “riot participation,” but the judge mentioned that hundreds of arrestees were entitled to individual detention hearings within 48 hours. The ruling only applied to the riot participation charge, and it remains unknown if it also extends to assault and criminal mischief charges related to the border stampede.
The riot took place on March 21 when a group of over 300 migrants attempted to enter the U.S. illegally by rushing a border fence in El Paso, Texas. Video footage showed adult males tearing away razor wire and charging past National Guard members, who blocked their entry at the border wall. Texas has the ability to charge the migrants who assaulted the guardsman with trespass laws, and Gov. Abbott’s administration has vowed to arrest every illegal immigrant involved in committing criminal trespass and destruction of property. The Biden administration has disputed Texas’ anti-illegal immigration law, claiming interference with federal responsibility over immigration enforcement.
Following the stampede, Texas Governor Greg Abbott criticized President Biden for contributing to the chaos at the border and violating U.S. laws through his actions. The Texas Military Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety were called in to regain control of the situation and arrest those committing crimes in Texas. The Biden administration pushed back against Texas’ anti-illegal immigration law, which allows police to arrest illegal immigrants, but the law was briefly allowed to go into effect by the Supreme Court before being blocked again by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Additional migrants, including a Colombian man, faced separate hearings on criminal mischief charges for allegedly cutting border fencing and were each jailed on a $2,000 bond. The Texas National Guard has been increased patrols after the migrant surge overwhelmed them in El Paso, and agents were reviewing video footage to identify those who assaulted guardsmen. The migrants would be processed for deportation and maintained the option to claim asylum. Governor Abbott’s spokesperson highlighted the surging incidents as a result of President Biden’s border policies, which have led to unsustainable chaos in the region. Former ICE officials have also sided with Governor Abbott in the ongoing border battle against the Biden administration’s immigration policies.
