DHS Reports Status of Migrants Arrested After March 21 Border Disturbance in El Paso
Federal officials say 43 of the more than 200 migrants arrested after a March 21 incident at the El Paso border have been removed from the United States, while many others remain in custody.
By Valentina Cruz ·
The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that 43 of the more than 200 undocumented migrants involved in a March 21, 2024 incident along the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso have been removed from the country.
DHS officials provided ABC-7 with a full accounting of the group's current status. The figures are current as of June 20, 2024. According to the agency, 43 people have been released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, and 32 remain in ICE custody while their immigration proceedings continue. Another 105 are being detained pending removal, and 43 have been removed from the United States.
The migrants were arrested by Border Patrol shortly after the incident, which was captured on camera. Texas Governor Greg Abbott had described the event as a "surge of illegal immigrants in El Paso."
Reporters at the border recorded migrants rushing past a temporary barrier and gathering directly in front of the border barrier. The following day, reporters also saw unrest among a separate group of migrants along the border.
In a statement, DHS spokeswoman Leticia Zamarripa, a public affairs officer, said ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations is focused on "smart, effective immigration enforcement that protects the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of our communities and the integrity of our immigration laws."
A DHS spokesperson also addressed how decisions are made in individual cases. Enforcement and Removal Operations officers decide on related enforcement actions and apply prosecutorial discretion where applicable, the spokesperson explained, doing so "in a responsible manner, informed by their experience as law enforcement professionals and in a way that best protects the communities we serve."
The agency's breakdown covers the group of more than 200 people who were arrested by Border Patrol in connection with what DHS referred to as the March 21 disturbance at the border in El Paso. Most of those individuals remain either in ICE custody or in detention awaiting removal, according to the figures provided.
Originally published by News Media House · Source: KVIA ABC-7
