With rifles and razor wire, National Guard and state troopers are blocking migrants at the border in El Paso
On Tuesday, National Guard troops and troopers formed a line along the Rio Grande banks and prevented dozens of migrants from crossing the river.
Around 75 people, including children, stood on a narrow strip made of concrete that ran between the river bank and the guard members. They faced razor wire coils, seven National Guard members with rifles, two State troopers, and a National Guard member with a bullhorn. He told them in Spanish that they wouldn’t be allowed to enter the country.
The standoff was being watched by Border Patrol agents who were positioned behind the National Guard, and state troopers. According to a spokesperson for Border Patrol, agents from Border Patrol would not process the migrants.
Title 42 is the emergency pandemic-era health order used by immigration officials to expel migrants immediately. Ports of entry are now closed to asylum seekers.
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Monday night saw the National Guard and State troopers establish a line of approximately 1,000 yards of razorwire to block the popular crossing point between Mexico City and the border. They also placed Humvees, Texas Department of Public Safety patrol cars and Humvees on the banks of River where more than 1000 migrants had crossed in less than four hours earlier this month.
According to a statement and Gov. Greg Abbott demanded Tuesday from the Biden administration that it “immediately deploy federal resources” to El Paso, and other border cities before the arctic storm.
The Texas Tribune reached out to The Texas Tribune for comments.
In a Tuesday statement, the Department of Homeland Security stated that agents had moved over 3,400 migrants in the last week by either flying them home or exiling them to Mexico under Title 42. According to the statement, agents also transported 6,000 migrants from the region to other areas where immigration officials processed them.
The statement stated that “Average daily encounters” have dropped by 40% — from approximately 2,500 to roughly 1,500 per day over the past three days. This was because we continue to work in partnership with Mexico to stop disorderly migration and disrupt criminalsmuggling operations.
Ricardo Samaniego, El Paso County Judge, told CNN Tuesday that the National Guard is not responsible for installing razor wire at the border. He said, “I am very certain that it wasn’t coordinated with Border Patrol.” “I have always maintained that any assistance from the State must be part of our overall strategy, and in sync with our own enforcement strategies.”
Many thousands of migrants have crossed the Rio Grande into El Paso recently or are waiting to cross when the U.S. government lifts Title 42. This emergency health order, which the government uses since the COVID-19 pandemic in order to expel migrants at the U.S. Mexico border (including asylum-seekers) without allowing them to apply for asylum, is used by the U.S. government.
Texas was among the 19 Republican-led States that requested a federal court to preserve Title 42 beyond Wednesday. They asked the U.S. Supreme Court Monday to stop the scheduled lifting of the policy. Chief Justice John G. Roberts quickly granted their request and requested that the Biden administration respond by Thursday at 4 p.m.
“The fight for Title 42 to remain in force continues. After Monday’s court decision, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton tweeted that he would continue to fight to keep Title 42 in place.
Tuesday’s administration request to the High Court for Title 42 to be lifted as soon as possible.
“The government acknowledges that the removal of Title 42 orders could cause disruptions and temporary increases in illegal border crossings. In a court filing with the Supreme Court, a lawyer representing the Department of Justice stated that the government does not seek to minimize the severity of the problem. “But, the solution to this immigration problem cannot be to prolong indefinitely a publicly-funded health measure that all now recognize has outlived it’s public-health justification.”
El Paso streets still host migrant sleepers
Before the National Guard and State troopers arrived at the river Monday night hundreds of migrants crossed the border and formed a line in front of the U.S. steel fence, waiting for Border Patrol agents who would apprehend them and process them. After processing, many were released into El Paso and forced the city’s shelters to be repurposed.
In El Paso’s downtown, hundreds of migrants still sleep on the streets waiting for money to fly to the U.S. or take a bus to their family members.
Officials from Border Patrol have also flown and bused migrants arrested in El Paso to other Texas towns to process them.
El Paso officials and county officials have struggled to find space for migrants in El Paso over the past few days. They also know that they must move quickly as temperatures are expected to drop to freezing this week.
Mayor Oscar Leeser stated Monday that local officials continue to prepare despite uncertainty over Title 42’s fate. Leeser declared a State of Emergency on Saturday. City and County officials are also working with the American Red Cross in order to shelter as many as 10,000 people.
To help migrants get to their next destination, the county and city have also revived a program that buses them to major cities like Dallas and Houston.
Leeser stated Monday that “We’re still proceeding as if [Title 42] were being lifted.” “With the weather dropping and the number of migrants increasing, we will continue our proactive efforts to ensure we have shelters and facilities available for people so they can escape the elements and get to the destinations of their choice.”
The Department of Homeland Security had released a plan to send more resources to Southwest Border. It also pledged to support nonprofits supporting migrants after border agents are released. According to the department, it will also collaborate with other countries in order to identify smugglers as well as manage increased migration.
Abbott visited the border Friday and spoke out about the state’s recent efforts to secure it, including the busing of more than 14,500 migrants from the United States to Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia since April.
Safety is what you seek
On Monday morning hundreds of migrants sat against a wall outside a church south downtown.
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