Migrants indicted in Texas over alleged border breach after judge dismissed charges

A Texas expansive assemblage has indicted much than 140 migrants connected misdemeanor rioting charges implicit an alleged wide effort to breach the U.S.-Mexico border

EL PASO, Texas -- A Texas expansive assemblage indicted much than 140 migrants connected misdemeanor rioting charges Tuesday implicit an alleged wide effort to breach the U.S.-Mexico border, a time aft a justice threw retired the cases.

No injuries were reported during the alleged breach connected April 12 successful El Paso, which authorities accidental began erstwhile idiosyncratic successful the radical chopped done a razor ligament barrier. Mass arrests besides followed a abstracted occurrence successful the Texas borderline metropolis successful March.

On Monday, a region justice had thrown retired the charges against those who were arrested this month, ruling determination was insufficient probable cause. A nationalist defender representing the migrants had argued determination was not capable grounds and accused authorities of trying to marque headlines.

"The citizens of El Paso, done the expansive jury, fundamentally overruled the judge’s ruling and recovered probable origin to judge that the riots did occur,” El Paso County District Attorney Bill Hicks told reporters Tuesday.

Kelli Childress-Diaz, the El Paso Public Defender who is representing the 141 defendants, said she wasn't surprised.

“I ideate they had that already prepared earlier the proceeding adjacent started yesterday," she said.

The arrests person drawn much attraction to Texas' expanding operations on the border, wherever Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has rolled retired a bid of assertive measures successful the sanction of curbing amerciable crossings. Following the arrests successful March, Abbott responded by saying helium sent 700 further National Guard members to El Paso.

Hicks, whom Abbott appointed to the occupation successful 2022, said that though it is not communal for a expansive assemblage to indict misdemeanor cases, helium felt it was “fair” to airs the cases earlier them. In all, Hicks estimated they had arrested implicit 350 radical connected rioting charges since March.

If convicted, those charged could each look up to 180 days successful region jailhouse and a good of up to $2,000. Those successful jailhouse inactive look national charges, and Hicks said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents could inactive prime them up from jailhouse to process them connected an amerciable introduction offense.

“It turns my tummy that these radical are thing much than than, you know, governmental coins successful a stake that immoderate of our authorities officials person hedged,” Childress-Diaz told The Associated Press.