Photo: CBP Photography
Hundreds of people rushed the U.S. Southern border from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and U.S. border connection on Sunday, March 12, after there was a rumor that migrants would be allowed to cross from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and into the United States, ABC reported. Around 12pm local time on March 12, a large crowd of primarily Venezuelans gathered near the bridge connection between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas.
Overt Operator reached out to the U.S. Border Patrol at El Paso and the U.S. El Paso City officials, but both departments were not available for comment. The U.S. CBP had not released a formal press release from its website at the time of this report.
The mass attempt to enter the border caused disruptions along the U.S. border, leading authorities to “erect barricades” CBP stated, as quoted by CNN.
“CBP is working to maintain the legal and orderly flow of entry to the U.S. while protecting the safety and security of legitimate trade and travel, CBP facilities, and the CBP workforce,” the agency said, as it was quoted by CNN.
Screenshot from a live camera overlooking the barricade.
In addition to the border disruptions at the El Paso crossing, two other groups of migrants caused disruptions, CNN reported. Crowds at the CBP bridge were dispersing by Sunday evening, El Paso Deputy City Manager Mario D’Agostino told CNN:
“At this time EOC (Emergency Operations Center) has shut down. Crowds [have] subsided and it’s just being monitored,” D’Agostino said, as he was quoted by CNN on March 12.
Fox News media reported that their contact in Juarez was able to confirm “at least 1,000 migrants” had attempted to rush the port of entry in El Paso in an attempt to enter the United States, Fox News correspondent Bill Meluglin tweeted.
In a series of updates, Meluglin shared footage collected by sources on the ground. A bilateral “show of force” of border patrol agents responded and dispersed the crowd. The bilateral force included “two lines” of Mexican military troops, and a skirmish line of United States Customs and Border Patrol officers, Meluglin reported.
Additionally, Fox News reached out to the migrants involved in the rush to understand better the motivations:
Lawmakers and media responded to Melgulin’s report. Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee said that President Joe Biden needs to “immediately secure” the border, and argued that the wall should be built next. Blackburn referred to the security fence that was proposed by the Trump administration but has not yet been constructed. While Republicans even called for Biden to “deploy the military”, Biden administration officials have expressed concerns about increasing restrictions on border crossing, ABC reported.
While the Biden administration previously extended the controversial Title 42 enacted by the Biden administration, Title 42 is set to expire in May. Biden’s administration will replace it with “the stiffest crackdown yet,” The New York Times reported.