Hundreds of migrants hitch train ride to El Paso border — Texas prepares for another potential riot

Hundreds of migrants have hitched a ride on a train bound for the El Paso-Juarez border, with the first group arriving earlier this week, according to Border Report.

The train, referred to as "La Bestia," or "the Beast," is carrying an unknown number of foreign nationals hoping to seek asylum in the United States. It is also referred to as the "Death Train," because migrants risk their lives riding on top of and clinging to the side of the cargo cars.

The New York Post noted that the Mexican government has recently stopped cracking down on the train rides.

Some of the migrants who just arrived in Juarez plan to head to the port of entry in El Paso and make asylum claims, while others intend to enter the country illegally by crossing the Rio Grande River. Individuals wishing to claim asylum are supposed to schedule an appointment with the Department of Homeland Security through the CBP One app and then check in at a port of entry. However, many have chosen to avoid designated entry points and cross over illegally.

An 18-year-old Venezuelan national told Border Report, "I am traveling by myself and they're waiting for me in Florida."

"I left (Venezuela) on February 5 and I stayed in Mexico some time and the (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) appointment never came. […] I will go to the river and see what happens," he stated.

CBP agent Orlando Marrero-Rubio told Border Report, "Anybody that comes into our country between ports of entry, they're doing it in an illegal way, regardless of your immigration status. Even for United States citizens it's completely illegal to make an entry between ports of entry."

Reports of the large group of migrants riding on the train began surfacing on Tuesday, a law enforcement official told the news outlet.

In response to the incoming migrants, the Texas National Guard was issued nonlethal pepper ball ammunition, a National Guard source told the Post. In March and April, large groups of illegal migrants stormed the border, destroying barriers and pushing past law enforcement authorities. The illegal aliens outnumbered the National Guardsmen.

The Post reported that one migrant attempted to grab a guardsman's firearm during the March incident. Authorities confiscated knives and shanks from some of the individuals involved in the rush.

“These people were willing to assault military,” a source told the Post. “They were willing to assault law enforcement. They have complete disregard for our laws.”

Since then, additional troops have been deployed, and fencing has been reinforced.

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