Mugshots of seven migrants identified as ringleaders of a group that cut fences and razor wire in El Paso, Texas, encouraged hundreds to rush to the U.S. border and injured a National Guard member on March 21. It was published.
The migrants are in custody on felony riot charges, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), in addition to two others who were processed by the Border Patrol and released into the United States.
They are joined by another 214 people charged with rioting in connection with the attempted entry into Gate 36 along the border wall, which was caught on camera by the Post.
The group of alleged instigators also includes Everisto Benítez Martínez, who was previously identified as the man accused of repeatedly stomping on the knee of a security guard during the scuffle.
Texas State Police were able to identify the group by reviewing the Post’s video of the altercation.
The country has issued arrest warrants for two other migrant agitators, Venezuelan nationals Juan José Colorado Gutiérrez, 34, and Gabriel Enrique Angarita Carrasquero, 22. Both have been charged with rioting, criminal mischief, and assaulting a public servant.
El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks told the Post on Wednesday that one of the accused assailants “was just captured or is currently being captured,” and the other remains. He said he was on the run.
Below are the names of the detained immigrants and the charges they currently face.
- Junior Evaristo Benítez Martínez, 21, of Venezuela (Riot – Felony, Criminal Mischief, Assault on a Public Servant)
- Kayder Jose Zurita Aponte, 21, of Venezuela (Riot – Felony, Criminal Mischief, Assault on a Public Servant)
- Gregory Jose Guilarte Acosta, 18, of Venezuela (riot – felony, criminal mischief, assault of a public servant)
- Omar Alejandro Graterol Colmenares, 27, Venezuela (Riot – Felony, Criminal Mischief, Assault Public Servant)
- Joshua Fernando Garcia Juarez, 18, Guatemala (Riot – Felony)
- Luis Jesús Chacón, 27, Venezuela (Riot – Felony)
- Martín Elias Villasis Cedeno, 46, Ecuador (Riot – Felony)
The larger group of 214 people facing lesser charges includes men and women from Venezuela, Guatemala, Ecuador, Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador.
They were initially placed in federal custody, but were transferred and rebooked to state custody on misdemeanor charges of rioting, DPS said.
“We are more than ready or will be more than ready to go to trial on this case whenever the court sets this case to trial,” Hicks said.
“Insurrection cases are very easy to prove, and we are very confident in the evidence and ready to move forward if they actually go to trial. I would be surprised.”
The maximum penalty for rioting is 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine. The immigrants are likely to take plea deals on the charges, and after their detention period ends, they will likely be turned over to federal authorities and deported.
Mr Hicks said the case was being scrutinized at the highest level, adding: [is] We take this very seriously, and the governor’s office obviously takes this very seriously. ”
He also said the actions of the alleged rioters were highly unusual for El Paso, where hundreds of thousands of migrants have surrendered to border patrol agents and has been at the epicenter of the migrant crisis since 2022.
“The situation we experienced at Gate 36 is very unusual for us here in El Paso. We don’t normally experience that level of violence. El Paso is largely a very peaceful place. It’s a city,” Hicks added.
Texas has stepped up enforcement at the El Paso border, sending in hundreds of troops, laying more razor wire and erecting many new fences to fortify areas where the violence broke out.
