Texas National Guard Preparing to Deter Migrants Arriving at US-Mexico Border on Freight Trains
The Texas National Guard was reportedly issued non-lethal pepper ball ammo to deter would-be illegal immigrants arriving via freight train at the U.S.-Mexico border. The migrants, sitting atop the boxcars, are hoping to evade the National Guard, and instead turn themselves in for processing by Border Patrol, which will release them into the interior of the U.S. with a notice to appear (NTA) in immigration court, often for years in the future.
According to a source who spoke with the New York Post, Texas National Guardsmen have been equipped with “thousands” of rounds of non-lethal pepper ball ammunition. According to the Border Report, which obtained footage of the freight train arriving in Juarez, Mexico, on Wednesday afternoon, the train came from Chihuahua City, “where authorities recently disbanded hundreds of migrants staying in tents behind a convenience store next to train tracks.”
Migrants told the outlet that they were hoping to be apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol and make it to states where some individuals have family or friends waiting for them.
“I am traveling by myself and they’re waiting for me in Florida,” an 18-year-old Venezuelan migrant identified as Johan, told Border Report. “I left [Venezuela] on February 5 and I stayed in Mexico some time and the [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] appointment never came. […] I will go to the river and see what happens.”
Johan was likely referring to the CBP One application, which allows users to apply for asylum while outside of the U.S. According to the Post, immigrants are asked to wait for CBP to set an appointment before entering the U.S. and presenting themselves to Border Patrol personnel.
The application was also used by federal officials to secretly fly more than 320,000 migrants into the U.S. to reduce the number of crossings at the southern border, reducing the appearance of an immigration crisis.
On Thursday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that the Texas National Guard would be installing “miles” of razor wire along the southern border to “deter and repel illegal entry.”
