Tensions continued to rise at the border wall in El Paso, Texas, as clashes between members of the Texas military and migrants crossing illegally from Mexico persisted for a second day.
On Friday, the Texas Army National Guard notified migrants through loudspeakers that they were going to replace the torn-down concertina wire along the banks of the Rio Grande. They also issued a warning, stating that those who did not return to Mexico would be subject to arrest.
Soldiers, armed with bulletproof shields, moved in a column towards a gathering of migrants attempting to dismantle the razor wire just a few feet away from the river. According to Mexican news reports, Texas law enforcement had previously discharged non-lethal projectiles, such as bean bags or rubber bullets, at the migrants who posed a threat to the wire.
We contacted the Texas Military Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety for comment. We are currently waiting for their response.
On Friday, there was an incident following the viral videos from Thursday. These videos showed around 500 migrants tearing down the Texas wire barrier and forcefully making their way through several guardsmen. In the footage, some members of the Guard can be seen restraining at least one migrant, while women in the crowd shout for them to stop.
On Friday, there appeared to be an equal number of migrants and Texas guard personnel, in contrast to the previous day when the migrants clearly outnumbered the guards.
In a tweet, Texas Governor Greg Abbott emphasized the state’s commitment to safeguarding its citizens from what he called “disastrous” federal policies relating to open borders.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced today that additional razor wire has been installed and more Texas National Guard soldiers have been deployed in El Paso. In his statement, Abbott emphasized the state’s commitment to bolstering their efforts in order to protect both Texas and the nation as a whole.
The governor has issued instructions to Texas DPS to apprehend unauthorized migrants who are found trespassing or causing damage to public property. This action has been carried out by Operation Lone Star for more than two years. Additionally, the state Legislature has recently expanded the arrest powers over migrants, enabling local police officers to detain undocumented migrants. However, a federal circuit court has temporarily halted the implementation of this expansion.
Carlos Marentes, a civil rights activist from El Paso, expressed his strong disapproval on Friday of the increasing violence faced by individuals from other countries who are exercising their right to seek asylum in the United States.
Marentes expressed disappointment in Governor Abbott’s decision to deploy soldiers for purposes other than assisting the population during a natural disaster. Marentes also criticized the governor for defying federal authority on immigration, despite SB4 being put on hold by the courts. Marentes lamented that Governor Abbott seemed to disregard the Constitution as the law of the land and instead treated Texas as his own kingdom.
Earlier this year, the state passed SB4, a law that grants local law enforcement the authority to interrogate and detain undocumented migrants. The federal government has filed a lawsuit to halt the enforcement of this law, claiming it is unlawful.
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