Eagle Pass, Texas — often dubbed “Illegal Pass” for obvious reasons — is a perennial hot spot of illegal border crossings. A couple of evenings ago, on July 25, it became a bit hotter than usual when nearly 50 migrants, most of them from Venezuela, attempted to rush through the Eagle Pass border entry point. The attempt was eventually quelled by the CBP, who shut down the border crossing for the evening.
The incident began around 7:50 pm after the migrants assaulted a bridge toll worker across the border in Piedras Negras, Mexico. The mob then made its way onto the first of two bridges between the two countries but were repelled, and the bridge was closed. As a precaution, authorities also closed a second bridge.
In spite of the assault and the clearly illegal rush across the bridge, Mexican authorities promised the migrants they would not be prosecuted if they returned to a migrant shelter in Mexico. The migrants left the bridge but then attempted to wade across the Rio Grande instead.
They were met there by warnings broadcast from the US side of the river by a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) loudspeaker. The recorded message warned them that migrants crossing the river is prohibited and that violators are subject to prosecution for criminal trespass.
A spokesman for the Texas DPS told Breitbart Texas that the group were initially undeterred and reached the US bank, where they were met by DPS troopers and Texas Army National Guard soldiers. They are reported to have eventually returned to the Mexican side.
Texas began an enhanced criminal trespass prosecution program in June, which has resulted in a visible reduction in illegal traffic since. Breitbart says:
A charge of criminal trespass in Texas is considered a Class B misdemeanor and can carry a fine of up to $2,000 or up to 180 days of jail without enhancements. Most migrants charged under the offense plead guilty and are turned over to the Border Patrol to face administrative disposition of their immigration or asylum claims.
So, in spite of the warnings, it would appear that most offenders end up where they would anyway, if not charged: namely, here. Even so, it’s something.
For more, see Breitbart News.