A judge in El Paso, Texas, ordered the release of migrants accused of being involved in a border riot that overwhelmed National Guard troops along the Rio Grande earlier this month. Videos showed a riot of asylum seekers attempting to illegally enter the US from Mexico on March 21. The Texas National Guard was reportedly overrun by migrants, leading to the situation being controlled. Governor Greg Abbott and other officials have attempted to enact immigration laws to address the surge, but these efforts are still being litigated.
The southwest land border in Texas saw 68,260 crossings in January, a drop from December but still among the highest rates in the country. In response to the surge, Governor Abbott and conservative officials have tried to enforce their immigration laws to arrest, detain, and remove suspected illegal immigrants. However, efforts are still under litigation. The ruling to release migrants accused of riot participation was handed down by Magistrate Judge Humberto Acosta, who criticized the El Paso District Attorney’s Office for not being ready for detention hearings. The ruling applies to riot participation cases, and further hearings for additional defendants are scheduled for Monday.
The arrests were made by the Texas Department of Public Safety in connection with an incident where a group of migrants, mostly men from Venezuela, ripped down razor wire along the Rio Grande and rushed the border fence. It remains unclear how many migrants were arrested in connection to the border riot and if Acosta’s ruling applies to all charges related to the incident. Despite a request to hold hearings at a later date, the judge ruled to release individuals on their own recognizance if the District Attorney’s Office was not ready. Governor Abbott expressed the deployment of National Guard troops in response to the breach of the razor wire barrier in El Paso.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground. The publication reached out to the El Paso County Courts, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the El Paso District Attorney’s Office for comments and updates. As the situation at the border continues to evolve with high rates of crossings and attempts to address the surge in immigration, legal proceedings and responses from officials are under scrutiny. The release of migrants accused of riot participation raises questions about the handling of border incidents and the legal process for those involved in such events.
