A wave of about 1,000 foreign nationals seeking illegal entry into the United States hit a group of stalwart Customs and Border Protection officers on Sunday, who were aided by the Mexican military.
According to KTSM, CBP officers were forced to implement “port hardening measures” on the Paso del Norte bridge into El Paso, Texas, on Sunday afternoon after violent migrants broke through Mexican lines and attempted to steal into the US en masse.
Federal agents were also called in to enforce the law at the Stanton Bridge and the Bridge of the Americas, where frenzied mobs were allegedly attempting to cross the border. Border officials restricted entry and temporarily shut down all traffic processing on all three bridges in order to protect the homeland.
CBP officers used concertina wire and traffic barriers, as well as agents dressed in riot gear, who were backed up by heavily armed Mexican troops.
Reuters reported that during the clash, some migrants in the predominantly Venezuelan crowd threw a barrier at American border officers.
BREAKING: Our contact in Juarez, MX tells us a massive group of at least 1,000 migrants just attempted to rush a port of entry in El Paso in an effort to get into the United States. Video shows them pushing past the Mexican side of Paso Del Norte bridge. Awaiting CBP comment. pic.twitter.com/lxriIB3TSm
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) March 12, 2023
BREAKING: Our contact in Juarez, MX tells us a massive group of at least 1,000 migrants just attempted to rush a port of entry in El Paso in an effort to get into the United States. Video shows them pushing past the Mexican side of Paso Del Norte bridge. Awaiting CBP comment. pic.twitter.com/lxriIB3TSm
According to Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, a false rumor circulated on Facebook telling migrants that they could enter the United States if they cited “extreme cases” or brought children, which may account for the surge at the three bridges.
Other migrants claimed they attempted to violate American sovereignty because the Biden administration’s CBP One app was subpar and prone to glitches.
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) called the predominantly adult mob storming the defenses “an invasion!”
Jackson’s claim echoes Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s November declaration that the southern border is under attack.
