At the border wall in El Paso, hostilities between Texas military personnel and undocumented migrants from Mexico erupted for a second straight day.
Over loudspeakers, Texas Army National Guard officers warned migrants on Friday that they were going to restore the concertina wire that had been torn down along the banks of the Rio Grande. They also threatened to jail those who did not return to Mexico.
“Attention: We will begin installing razor wire in this area. For your safety, we need you to return to Mexico. If you damage the wire or try to cross, you will be arrested,” a loud Spanish voice said.
A column of soldiers wearing bulletproof shields moved in at some migrants who were attempting to rip down the razor wire a short distance from the river. According to news reports from Mexico, Texas law enforcement had earlier shot non-lethal projectiles at migrants who were threatening to pull down the wire, most likely rubber bullets or bean bags.
Border Report has requested comment from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department and is expecting a response.
Following Thursday’s widely shared videos that showed how a group of over 500 migrants broke through multiple guards and tore down the Texas wire barrier, there was an altercation on Friday. Women could be heard yelling for the Guard members to stop as they were shown subduing at least one migrant.
The number of migrants appeared to be roughly equal on Friday, while on Thursday they were significantly outnumbered by Texas security troops.
Governor Greg Abbott of Texas tweeted that the state would keep shielding its people from the “disastrous” federal open-border policies.
“More razor wire installed, and more Texas National Guard soldiers deployed in El Paso today. We continue to redouble and reinforce our efforts. Texas will keep taking historic action to protect our state – and our nation,” Abbott stated.
The governor further stated that the DPS in Texas has been directed to detain undocumented immigrants who are found to be trespassing or damaging public property.
For more over two years, the state has carried out this task under Operation Lone Star. A federal circuit court has halted the state Legislature’s prior expansion of arrest powers over migrants, which allowed local police officers to detain unauthorized migrants.
Civil rights activist Carlos Marentes of El Paso denounced on Friday what he perceives as an increase in violence against foreign nationals who are entitled to apply for asylum in the United States.
“It is regrettable that Gov. Abbott is using soldiers not to assist the population during a natural disaster, but against people looking for the promise of a better life,” Marentes stated. “He is also defying the federal authority on immigration. The courts have put SB4 on hold, but he doesn’t care. We have been taught the Constitution is the law of the land, but he doesn’t care, he sees Texas as his kingdom.”
