Rioting charges for 222 migrants who broke through razor wire, knocked down guards on Texas border in shocking video
Over 200 migrants have now been charged with rioting over the shocking caught-on-camera border rush which left Texas National Guard troops injured at El Paso, Texas.
The state has identified 222 migrants who pulled down fences and razor wire then violently pushed past the heavily outnumbered Texas troops on March 21, according to BorderReport.com.
Charges of participating in a riot have been brought against 118 people on Friday and 97 more over the weekend, according to the site. Seven others were handed the same, alongside a charge of criminal mischief, at the end of last week.
On Sunday El Paso magistrate judge Humberto Acosta said the “hundreds of arrestees” from the riot were entitled to have individual bail hearings within 48 hours of being charged and denied the District Attorney’s request for more time to prepare.
Acosta then ordered the 39 migrants who had been brought before him over the rioting charges could be “released on their own recognizance” as the District Attorney had scheduled them for one mass hearing instead of individually.
However, following the hearing all were instead transferred from state custody to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
ICE confirmed it is waiting to assume custody of all those charged with rushing the border and will start deportation proceedings against each of them.
“All individuals allegedly involved in the March 21 border breach had federal detainers filed by
Immigration and Customs Enforcement to have them returned to its custody once released
from state custody,” the El Paso county court said in a statement shared with The Post.
On Monday another hearing for 40 of the detainees was postponed after the public defender on the case, Kelli Childress, requested a delay. She noted if the migrants were released by the state they would be transferred to ICE and have no further access to lawyers.
At the same hearing assistant District Attorney Jennifer Vandenbosch also said the state was now prepared to proceed with individual hearings for each migrant charged with rioting.
The migrants accused of the border incident on March 21 had hoped Border Patrol would apprehend them and allow them to stay in the US. Howver they grew agitated when the soldiers began separating them into groups.
Authorities subsequently confiscated knives and shanks from some of the migrants involved in the rush, a National Guard source told The Post at the time. At least one migrant also tried to grab a soldier’s gun.
Following the incident a Honduran national, Everisto Benitez Martinez, has been charged with allegedly stomping on a guardsman’s knee repeatedly according to court documents seen by Border Report.
Two Venzuelan nationals who received both federal and state charges are currently being held on bonds of over $42,000 each in El Paso County jail, in a sign of how seriously the incident is being treated by authorities.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has since beefed up the presence of National Guard and state troopers in El Paso to respond to any such incursions, with almost 200 soldiers from the Texas Tactical Border Force deployed to the area.
