‘Ringleaders’ of illegal immigrant stampede were identified to authorities before release into US: report

According to information provided by an illegal immigrant in custody after the immigrant stampede at the border, Venezuelan national Gabriel Enrique Angarita Carrasquero and Juan Jose Colorado Gutierrez were the instigators of the riot that occurred in March.

The eyewitness account detailed how Angarita Carrasquero reportedly used a rope to forcibly pull down a gate, allowing a rush of migrants to bypass the National Guard and enter the United States, according to the New York Post. Gutierrez, on the other hand, was said to have used wire cutters or bolt cutters to sever barbed wire along the US side of the southern border.

Despite the severity of their actions, both individuals were released by Border Patrol as detention space reached capacity. However, they have since been issued felony charges for their alleged roles in the incident, which resulted in injuries to National Guard troops.

Gutierrez was apprehended by the Texas Department of Public Safety on Tuesday. He now faces charges of aggravated assault on a police officer, rioting, and criminal mischief. Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to locate and apprehend Carrasquero, who was reported to have been heading towards Phoenix, Arizona, according to previous comments he made to officials.

According to the Post, federal agents expressed confusion as to why Carrasquero was released considering he did not have an asylum claim or “fear of persecution or harm if he is returned to Venezuela."

Approximately 100 of the immigrants who participated in the riot were processed by Border Patrol under Title 8 and then released into the US, a practice commonly referred to as "catch and release."