Texas Guards Pepper Spray Migrants at US Border

Footage has emerged showing Texas National Guard troops firing pepper spray on Monday at a group of migrants who had been attempting to breach the United States-Mexico border using wire cutters.

The Context

Illegal immigration has become a prominent political issue over the past few years, with 9.8 million migrant encounters recorded between October 2019 and January 2024, according to figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. On April 12, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said 507,200 migrants suspected of entering the country illegally had been detained in his state since 2021 when he launched Operation Lone Star to combat illegal crossings.

Migration has also caused a surge in tension between Texan and federal authorities, with the Supreme Court ruling in January that federal agents could remove razor wire placed along the Mexican border by the Texas National Guard. In response, Abbott claimed his state was being "invaded" and invoked its "constitutional authority to defend and protect itself."

What We Know

In the 30-second video published by Reuters, a small group of migrants wearing head coverings can be seen trying to enter Texas through a razor wire fence at the border with Ciudad Juárez in Chihuahua State. They disperse as a vehicle arrives. The shot jumps to show Texas National Guard soldiers firing what the news agency reported was pepper spray to move the migrants away from the fence.

As the footage ends, the camera pans out, and a larger group of migrants can be seen moving away from the fence as the National Guard continues monitoring the border.

"On May 13, a group of illegal immigrants attempted to cut through the wire barrier placed along the Texas/Mexico border near El Paso in order to illegally cross into the state of Texas," a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety told Newsweek.

"Texas Highway Patrol Troopers and members of the Texas Department of Public Safety's Special Operations Group responded to the scene and deployed pepper balls into the ground to prevent the group from further destroying state property and to maintain order."

Newsweek also reached out to Texas Governor Greg Abbott via email at about 6 a.m. ET on Tuesday.

Views

On Monday, Abbott shared two photographs on X, formerly Twitter, of Texas National Guard soldiers inspecting razor wire along the border.

"Texas National Guard soldiers continue to work around-the-clock to reinforce, repair, and redouble razor wire along the border," Abbott wrote. "Texas' historic border efforts are working. We will continue to use every tool and strategy to protect our state—and nation."

In March, footage posted on social media showed a large group of suspected illegal migrants tearing down a border fence and pushing past National Guard soldiers in a bid to enter the United States.

Donald Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, has made cracking down on irregular immigration, which he claimed is "destroying the country," a key pillar of his bid for a second White House term.

Earlier this year, President Joe Biden blamed House Republicans for the situation after they refused to back a package he says would have strengthened border security and provided additional aid to U.S. allies. In April, Congress approved a $95-billion assistance bill for Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel, without any immigration attachments.

Update 5/15/24, 10:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from the Texas Department of Public Safety.