Greg Abbott Celebrates Legal Win Over Texas Border
Published Apr 24, 2024 at 4:55 AM EDT
Updated Apr 24, 2024 at 6:06 PM EDT
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has celebrated the decision by a Texas grand jury to indict 141 migrants on misdemeanor rioting charges, a day after a county judge ruled there was insufficient probable cause to press charges.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Abbott said it was "excellent work" by the grand jury to "overrule the judge's lenience."
The Context
On March 21, a group of migrants broke through some of the border defenses near El Paso in Texas following which they were arrested. Footage captured by New York Post reporter Jennie Taer showed the migrants tearing down a fence and forcing their way past a group of uniformed men—who appeared to be National Guard soldiers—before reaching a more robust barrier.
According to El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks, around 221 people were arrested over the incident during which several Texas National Guard soldiers were injured.
On Sunday, Magistrate Judge Humberto Acosta ruled that "all the rioting participation cases will be released on their own recognizance," according to The El Paso Times.
However, the decision was overturned on Monday by a grand jury. El Paso County District Attorney Bill Hicks said: "The citizens of El Paso, through the grand jury, essentially overruled the judge's ruling and found probable cause to believe that the riots did occur."
https://www.newsweek.com/greg-abbott-celebrates-legal-win-texas-border-crisis-1893561?piano_t=1
