Migrants throw sand and water bottles at border guards: Video

US News

From David Propper

Migrants attempting to climb over a wall to enter Texas illegally pelted border patrol agents with water bottles, rocks and sand, according to state authorities and a video of the tense standoff.

This week's confrontation was filmed from the air by the Texas Department of Public Safety, which provided “air support” to U.S. agents who thwarted the border crossing attempt near the Santa Teresa border crossing, the department said.

According to the aerial video, the migrants appeared to be ready to climb over the wall and use a rope ladder to scurry down when they were met by federal officials.

At least one migrant who made it to the U.S. side was quickly arrested, and another who climbed down the ladder on the U.S. side was also caught, the footage shows.

Other migrants engaged in a tug-of-war with the border patrol over the ladder.

When it became clear that most of the migrants would not make it to the other side, a man can be seen throwing a few handfuls of sand through the mesh wall. Another migrant threw at least two water bottles at border guards, the footage shows.

At least two migrants continued to struggle with the ladder at the top of the wall while a border guard stood on the ground before giving up and going back down to the Mexican side of the barrier.

The Santa Teresa port of entry, near which the battle took place, is close to the border between Texas and New Mexico.

“The video shows recent behavior by these groups in the El Paso Sector – throwing rocks, sand and water bottles at emergency responders,” the Texas Department of Public Safety said.

This week's chaos follows the violent March 21 storming of the border in El Paso, in which 211 migrants were charged with rioting.

However, the charges were later dropped after a judge said his “hands [were] bound” because the state had not provided the necessary documents.