Two Venezuelan migrants attacked and injured a Texas National Guard member near the border in El Paso, Texas, leading to heightened concerns about the escalating challenges faced by authorities in the ongoing border crisis.
The Texas Department of Public Safety revealed that the assault occurred on a Wednesday morning when the National Guard member was stationed near razor wire set up to deter illegal crossings. According to the soldier, a female migrant seized him by the neck while a male migrant grabbed his leg, causing him to fall into the razor wire. Prompt assistance from fellow troopers and soldiers prevented further harm to the injured National Guard member.
The migrants, identified as a 38-year-old Venezuelan woman and a 33-year-old Venezuelan man, faced charges of assault. Surprisingly, the woman was charged at large, effectively securing her release, as she was traveling with children. This decision sparked astonishment from former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field officer director John Fabbricatore, who criticized the apparent disparity in the justice system’s treatment of illegal aliens.
Fabbricatore noted that had a citizen committed such an assault, their children would likely have been placed in state custody, and the individual would be incarcerated. He highlighted what he perceived as a two-tiered justice system favoring illegal aliens.
The incident comes amid Texas’s heightened efforts to address the surge in border-related challenges under Operation Lone Star, deploying additional National Guard resources and constructing various barriers to curb illegal crossings. The state’s initiatives include the creation of its own wall and a buoy barrier in the Rio Grande, currently facing legal challenges from the Biden administration.
The incident also draws attention to the broader context of the ongoing immigration crisis at the southern border, with sources revealing a historic record of over 260,000 migrant encounters in September alone. The Biden administration’s response to the crisis has included granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to approximately 470,000 Venezuelan nationals already in the country, shielding them from deportation and allowing work permits.
Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced an agreement with Venezuela to initiate direct deportation flights of illegal immigrants to the socialist country. These developments underscore the complexity of the border situation and the policy decisions being made at the federal level.
