(NewsNation) — A March 21 border riot in El Paso County, Texas, wasn’t the first of its kind but was the “most dramatic” National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd can remember, he told “The Hill.”
More than 200 people are facing state charges for allegedly forcing their way through a barrier of outnumbered Texas Army National Guard troops on Thursday, March 21, tearing down razor wire as they did so, NewsNation partner Border Report wrote.
A judge in Texas ordered some migrants accused of taking part in the riot to be released from jail on Sunday, the El Paso Times reported.
“It sends a message that you can cross our borders illegally, that you can actually assault people, and you’re going to be released,” Judd said.
Migrants without sufficient documentation will remain jailed if a federal immigration hold blocks their release, the newspaper wrote.
“All we have to do is surge immigration judges to our border,” Judd said. “Surge asylum officers to our border. Have those court appearances immediately upon crossing the border illegally.”
Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this year sent the National Guard to the region to keep migrants from reaching the U.S. border, and razor wire had been set up for that purpose as part of Texas’ Operation Lone Star.