43 illegal immigrants involved in El Paso border riot released into US by Biden’s border patrol

The incident, which occurred on March 21 and was captured on video, saw over 200 illegal immigrants storming the border and clashing with Texas National Guardsmen attempting to defend the area. Despite these actions, an El Paso judge dismissed criminal charges against all involved migrants in May. The migrants were released from state custody and handed over to ICE.

Now, according to an ICE official who spoke to the New York Post, many of those migrants have been allowed to remain in the country. The agency reportedly released 43 migrants who participated in the riot.

An ICE spokesperson stated that the agency makes release decisions on a “case-by-case basis,” explaining, “ERO [Enforcement and Removal Operations] officers make decisions on associated enforcement actions and apply prosecutorial discretion, where applicable, in a responsible manner, informed by their experience as law enforcement professionals and in a way that best protects the communities we serve.”

However, a source from Homeland Security suggested that ICE's standards are arbitrary, citing the agency's inability to deport migrants quickly enough and the need to reserve detention centers for the most dangerous individuals.

“Sometimes we arrest a child molester and he gets released because of housing space. Or the charge is not egregious enough to keep him or her in custody,” the source explained.

While 43 migrants have been released, ICE has kept 32 in custody pending court hearings, 105 are in detention awaiting deportation, and another 43 have been successfully deported.

Following the riot, Texas authorities identified nine migrants as leaders of the riot and intended to file felony rioting charges. However, two of these individuals were released by Border Patrol before charges could be filed. Texas authorities managed to apprehend one, but the other remains at large. In response to the riot, Texas has armed soldiers and state troopers on the border with non-lethal pepper ball guns to prevent similar incidents in the future.