Hundreds of migrants have started arriving daily at the border just south of El Paso via overloaded freight trains on a line nicknamed “The Beast,” after the Mexican government stopped cracking down on people hitching rides.
In response to an expected spike in illegal crossing attempts, Texas National Guard soldiers have been issued non-lethal pepperball ammo to deter would-be border crossers from attempting to sneak over in the fortified areas around points of entry, a National Guard source told The Post.
The soldiers have been armed with “thousands” of pepper balls and the source adds, “It’s on like Donkey Kong right now,” pointing out more troops are also being called in as reinforcements.
The first train arrived Wednesday in Juarez, directly south of El Paso, with hundreds of migrants offloading, according to Border Report.
Some intended to go straight to the Rio Grande River to attempt to cross into El Paso illegally while many families were seeking shelter in Juarez before attempting to cross Thursday, according to the report.
No one is supposed to cross the border outside of designated points of entry, not only because it is illegal but also because it is dangerous.
Migrants seeking asylum are supposed to wait until they have an appointment with the Department of Homeland Security to enter the country through the CBP One app and then present themselves to border officers.
However, in practice, the Biden administration doesn’t enforce this rule and treats those who surrender themselves at points of entry the same. That practice is what has led many to criticize the administration’s policies for being soft.
Migrants refer to the trains that bring them to the border as “La Bestia,” which translates as The Beast, because it is known as a “Death Train” because of the risk of death and loss of limbs associated with clinging onto the sides or riding its roof for the dangerous between Chihuahua and Juarez.
Texas began arming soldiers and state troopers deployed to the border in El Paso with pepper ball guns and other tools to break up large groups after hundreds of migrants stormed the area at a crossing known as Gate 36 — a storm gate which is not a point of entry — on March 21, which was caught on camera by The Post.
The group tore down the state’s concertina border barrier and pushed down members of the National Guard, who were outnumbered by the migrants, as they made it up to the border gate, which was closed.
Texas National Guard members later confiscated knives and shanks from members of the group. At least one migrant also tried to grab a soldier’s firearm during the chaotic situation.
Texas has since charged 214 people with rioting and another nine alleged ringleaders with heavier charges in connection with the attempted incursion.
The Lone Star state has also beefed up the presence of law enforcement in the area, deploying hundreds of additional troops and placing additional fencing and wire around the area.
Another clash broke out April 12 at the El Paso border resulting in the indictments of 140 more migrants, according to KFOX14.
In a separate incident, a soldier supporting Texas’ efforts shot a migrant while responding to a stabbing involving illegal border-crossers, as The Post reported, on April 15.
Additionally, cartels have been battling for smuggling routes between Chihuahua City and Juarez. Last week, the bodies of eight men slaughtered by a gang were discovered dumped along the side of a popular migrant road route.
On Wednesday, Mexican authorities also stopped a trailer packed with 131 migrants from Central and South America south of Juarez which was believed to be heading to the US border, according to Border Report.
Victor Avila, a retired agent for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), told The Post that Juarez is “one of the most coveted trafficking corridors from Mexico that exist.”
The Texas Military Department (TMD), which includes the states National Guard, didn’t respond to The Post’s request for comment.
