Hundreds of migrants stormed the US-Mexico border in the state of Texas on Thursday, overwhelming National Guard troops patrolling the area, according to media outlets.
Border officials said the migrants breached the razor wire barriers in the city of El Paso by covering them with clothing and cardboard in an attempt to jump over the barricades and gain entry into the US.
The Texas National Guard managed to round up the migrants and loaded them into vehicles to be brought to an immigration processing center.
This latest incident comes during a tumultuous battle between Texas Governor Greg Abbott and President Joe Biden’s administration regarding arrest jurisdiction of the hundreds of thousands of migrants crossing into the United States illegally every month.
Texas Senate Bill 4 (SB 4) was approved by lawmakers, allowing state law enforcement officials to arrest illegal migrants and for state judges to be able to sentence them up to six months in jail or deport them. Repeat offenders would face between two and 20 years in prison.
The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that SB 4 could go into effect, allowing state arrest mandates of illegal migrants to be carried out. But just hours later, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a hold on the bill until further notice.
According to US Customs and Border officials, nearly 250,000 migrants crossed the southern border in December 2023 alone, marking the highest monthly total on record.
US immigration law allows migrants to turn themselves into Border Patrol agents in order to seek asylum.
Source: Anadolu Agency