Illegal Immigrants Escape Border Patrol Bus

According to Durango Ayala, president of the National Border Patrol Council for the El Paso sector and a Border Patrol representative, a group of illegal immigrants from Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua broke out of a Border Patrol bus on Wednesday and are currently missing in the city of El Paso, Texas.

At the Stanton bridge commuter crossing, a group of 18 illegal immigrants headed for deportation under Title 42—a Trump-era directive applied to particular nationalities in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19—were escorted by one Border Patrol agent, the driver. By busting out a hatch on the vehicle, the gang managed to flee, according to Ayala, who said they were still missing as of late Wednesday.

The illegal migrants’ escape was confirmed by two Border Patrol agents who spoke publicly on the subject on condition of anonymity.

“As the bus was moving, the migrants opened the top emergency exit hatch and jumped out onto nearby public streets in downtown El Paso, TX. Immediately thereafter, the Border Patrol Agent driving the bus pulled over on a nearby street to prevent more migrants from jumping out. This group of migrants were not seeking asylum and were previously encountered in Santa Teresa, NM and El Paso, as they attempted to evade arrest. U.S. Border Patrol in the El Paso Sector entered an alert for their arrest after escaping from federal custody.”

According to Ayala, it was against corporate protocol to send only one agent with the group.

According to CBP, people from Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela are presently barred from entering the United States under Title 42 and may be ejected immediately. On May 11, the Biden administration intends to terminate Title 42.

Via the CBP One mobile app, immigrants who fall under Title 42 have the ability to request an exception prior to entering the country. Nonetheless, many people have had difficulties in securing fast appointments and averting procedure hiccups.

Hundreds of migrants assaulted the Paso del Norte bridge in El Paso on March 12 as a result of their discontent with the procedure.