El Paso Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended a large group of nearly 200 migrants who illegally crossed the border near Sunland Park, New Mexico, on February 26.
Agents patrolling near and an unsecured section of the New Mexico border just west of El Paso, Texas, encountered a large group of migrants who illegally crossed the border in the early morning hours Tuesday. The agents apprehended the migrants and placed them under arrest for illegally entering the U.S. between ports of entry, according to a statement from El Paso Sector Border Patrol officials released Wednesday.
Emergency medical teams from the Sunland Park Fire Department assisted Border Patrol agents in providing initial medical screenings. Officials determined some of the migrants needed additional medical attention. Teams transported those in need of more serious medical attention to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Officials said the group was comprised primarily of Central American families and unaccompanied minors. The groups continue to exploit incomplete or outdated barrier technology in order to illegally enter the U.S. and seek asylum.
“This is a situation that Border Patrol Agents continue to face in southern New Mexico,” El Paso Sector officials said in a written statement. “Hundreds of parents and children being encountered by agents after having faced a dangerous journey in the hands of unscrupulous smugglers. This is the second group of more than 100 people since the beginning of the fiscal year in the Sunland Park area. Similar large groups are being encountered at other border locations in the El Paso Sector.”
This section of the border is located a few miles west of El Paso and was the scene of a pro-border security rally where supporters of President Donald Trump rallied to create a virtual “Human Wall,” Breitbart News reported earlier this month. The demonstration came in response from a tweet from the president calling for building a “Human Wall” if Congress would not fund a real wall.
A few days later, a group of 300 migrants illegally crossed the border in the same area.
Shortly before midnight on Monday, Santa Teresa Station agents patrolling near Mt. Cristo Rey observed a large group of 311 migrants making their way around the end of the pedestrian fence near Sunland Park. The agents took the migrants into custody and transported them to the station for medical evaluation and processing, according to El Paso Sector Border Patrol officials.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for the Breitbart Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.