A group of mostly adult male migrants violently stormed an El Paso border checkpoint, tearing down fencing before clashing with National Guard troops.
While some were pushed back to Mexico, New York Post reporting found a sizable number were processed and released into the U.S. under catch-and-release policies.
“The migrants that we encountered here today at Gate 36 will be taken to a processing center,” Border Patrol official Orlando Marrero said.
City figures showed over 700 people had been freed from custody.
One source told the Post many attackers would be released to pursue asylum.
Fox News interviewed the reporter, who said this sends a message illegal border crossings can succeed in entering the country.
“Many of these people did get processed by Border Patrol under Title 8, which is what is typically used for what we know as catch and release. These are people that are mainly released into the country,” reporter Jennie Taer said.
“So this sends the message to people around the world that even if you act like this, you can probably get into the country. And I think they continue to push these boundaries and to see what they can get away with,” Taer added. “And here they got away with some really, really scary stuff and, you know, assaulting, appeared to be assaulting some of the National Guardsmen. It was totally out of control.”
The incident has highlighted the ongoing surge at the border under loosened policies, with Border Patrol nightly detaining 2,000-2,500 people in the area.
