Authorities confiscated knives and shanks from migrants who surged the border wall in El Paso on Thursday, The Post has learned.
The swarm of migrants overwhelmed Texas National Guard soldiers who were arranging them into groups to be taken into Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) custody. During the chaotic incursion, at least one person also tried to grab a soldier’s firearm, a National Guard source told The Post.
“These people were willing to assault military,” the source told the Post. “They were willing to assault law enforcement. They have complete disregard for our laws.”
Some troops were treated at a nearby hospital for minor injuries.
The skirmish happened at Gate 36, a spot where potential asylum seekers congregate in the hopes of obtaining permission to remain in the United States. Located on US soil, Gate 36 is not an official point of entry and is not equipped to process asylum claims.
The Post has also learned Texas authorities are reviewing video surveillance to determine which migrants — who are currently in Border Patrol custody — were involved in the riot. At least one migrant has been arrested for allegedly assaulting an officer and faces possible charges of criminal mischief, property damage, assaulting soldiers, and inciting a riot.
US Border Patrol spokesman Orlando Marrero-Rubio told Border Report people who cross Gate 36 illegally could face removal from the country and a five-year ban on future immigration benefits.
However, as thousands of migrants are let into the US daily along the southern border due to the Biden administration’s policies, it is expected most of the migrants caught up in Thursday’s melee will be allowed into the US. Statistics from CBP show in the last five months, 817,000 migrants have been allowed into the country to pursue asylum claims and via the CBP One app, and only 156,000 have been marked for removal.
“The biggest problem that we have is Border Patrol busing migrants into the country,” the soldier told The Post. “We can push them back all we want through the wire, but they know that if they get through, they get to the wall Border Patrol is just going to pick them up [and process them].”
Since the uprising, the government has added more personnel at Gate 36. More Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers have been called to the spot, while dozens of National Guard Soldiers are also present.
Customs and Border Protection [CBP] Air and Marine Operations have also been flying helicopters over the gate following the incursion. Some DPS troopers near the gate also now have pepper ball guns.
But some officials believe that the beefed up presence won’t be enough to deter the asylum seekers.