Border Patrol agents in Texas reportedly shot non-lethal rounds at a group of immigrants who attempted to storm the border in El Paso, flying Venezuelan and Honduran flags. According to the New York Post, chaos broke out as a group of immigrants collectively tried to cross the river after camping just a few feet from the U.S.-Mexico border.
Border patrol explained in a statement, “One of the protesters assaulted an agent with a flag pole, at which time agents responded by initiating crowd control measures. These measures included the use of the authorized less-lethal force pepperball launching system.”
Customs and Border Patrol agents fire rubber bullets on migrants as migrants retreat on the north bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. pic.twitter.com/3dvzFo458R
— J. Omar Ornelas (@fotornelas) October 31, 2022
As Border Patrol agents fired the shots, several migrants retreated into the river toward Mexico. The El Paso Times reported that scores of Border agents had lined up before the commotion to stop the migrants. Most immigrants are Venezuelans who had previously attempted to enter the U.S. but were turned back to Mexico due to a new deal between the U.S. and Mexico. The immigrants reportedly staged a march in Juarez, Mexico demanding entry into the U.S.
Since October 13, the Biden Administration has implemented Title 42, a sweeping step to send migrants who entered the U.S. unlawfully at the Southern border back to their home country.
In the fiscal year 2022, a record 189,000 Venezuelans crossed the southern border, fleeing the nation’s crumbling economy and unpredictable political structure. Since then, approximately 1,800 Venezuelans have been sent back to Mexico, where they now find themselves homeless in Juárez, waiting for another opportunity to enter the U.S.
