EAGLE PASS, Texas (NewsNation) — Video obtained by NewsNation shows Texas soldiers firing PepperBalls at the ground in front of migrants attempting to cross the southern border illegally. Authorities say they were trying to create an “irritant cloud” to hinder their progress.
The video shows a group of about 45 people being ushered across the Rio Grande by a coyote on the south side. The migrants are seen forming a kind of human chain in order to cross the water and get to Shelby Park.
Once they make it across, the Texas military tells them they cannot cross there and they must go back to Mexico to cross legally at a port of entry. Once the migrants continue walking, the PepperBalls are shot at the ground in front of the migrants to create an “irritant cloud.”
The migrants can be seen holding their shirts up as protection and wiping away tears. They continue to try to cross, crawling through concertina wire.
Cartels are using the so-called test runs to see how Texas is going to respond to migrant crossings, according to authorities. They previously sent over a couple before the larger group seen in the video. Texas military blocked their access, telling them that they needed to turn back and cross legally at a port.
“I already told you three times, and I also showed you where to go,” a soldier says to two migrants who tried to cross.
