Video obtained by Reuters appears to show a National Guard unit opening fire with pepper spray toward a group of people attempting to breach a security fence between Mexico and the United States.
Footage was posted to social media of a group of would-be illegal immigrants trying to cut through the security fence, then backing away as a law enforcement vehicle speeds into view. A squad of armed Texas National Guard members disembark, at least one of whom appears to fire a pepper spray gas canister towards the group in a video posted to X by Reuters.
The Texas National Guard used pepper-spray to disperse a group of migrants attempting to cut through a fence at the US-Mexico border pic.twitter.com/wFrhlgUaXv
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 14, 2024
The incident took place at Ciudad Juárez in Chihuahua State, on the border with El Paso, according to Newsweek. It is the latest in a series of high-profile confrontations in the area, including an incident in March, when more than 200 illegal immigrants stormed the border wall overwhelming the National Guard members present, a video showed. Texas later charged multiple alleged participants in the apparent storming of the guardsmen. (RELATED: Migrant Caught Cutting Border Wire To Lead Dozens Over Before Being Stopped By National Guard, Video Shows)
A group of over 100 migrants attempted to enter the US illegally by rushing a border wall Thursday, breaking through razor wire and knocking over guards in the process. https://t.co/uxx0lopRzH pic.twitter.com/Lp4jI0fONN
— New York Post (@nypost) March 22, 2024
The United States border with Mexico appears likely to be a contested issue in the 2024 presidential election, with Texas at the forefront of debates over border security. Governor Greg Abbott has been locked in an ongoing legal battle with the federal government in his attempts to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the state. Speaker Mike Johnson has unsuccessfully attempted to tie additional border protections to funding for military aid to Ukraine and Israel. Johnson instead oversaw the passage of a bill focused on foreign military aid which was signed by President Biden in late April, detaching the aid from border security.