A group of illegal migrants waving a massive Venezuelan flag illegally crossed into the United States and attacked Border Patrol agents on Monday, assaulting at least one agent with a flagpole, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said. Video of the scene shows Border Patrol agents forcing the group of illegal migrants back across the border.
According to a CBP statement shared on Twitter by Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, a group of Venezuelan nationals “attempted to illegally enter the United States while protesting along the Rio Grande River International Boundary near downtown El Paso.”
“One of the protesters assaulted an agent with a flag pole, at which time agents responded by initiating crowd control measures,” the CBP added. “These measures included the use of the authorized less-lethal force pepperball launching system. The crowd then dispersed and returned to Mexico.”
According to a statement from CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus, hundreds of migrants tried to enter the U.S. along the Rio Grande River International Boundary near El Paso, Texas, on Monday.
“During this event, preliminary reports indicate that several individuals became combative and physically assaultive, resulting in the deployment of pepper ball munitions— a less-than-lethal system that agents are trained to use in order to protect themselves and others from attack,” the statement read.
“In accordance with the need to ensure any use of force by CBP personnel complies with our policies, CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility is reviewing this incident,” it added.
