Over the weekend, nearly a dozen illegal immigrants were injured trying to scale the border wall separating California and Mexico.
The San Diego Fire Department said 10 people were taken to hospitals with mild to moderate injuries. Their ages ranged from 18 to mid-40s.
Four of the injured were taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital, including three who were traveling with five children, all under the age of 11, Scripps Health said. President Chris Van Gorder told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The hospital provided childcare while the parents received treatment.
Volunteers prepare to distribute to migrants in front of a 30-foot wall next to an old 18-foot wall on Oct. 10, 2023 in San Diego, California. (Frederick J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
The incident comes days after a man, believed to be in his late 20s, died while trying to circumvent the border wall.
Officials say they have seen a significant increase in trauma incidents since the border wall was raised in height during the Trump administration and began replacing sections less than 20 feet tall with 30-foot steel bollard barriers. ing.
In 2021, when President Biden took office, UC San Diego treated nearly 450 patients who fell from the border wall, compared to less than 60 just two years ago.
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The pattern follows a widespread diversion of illegal immigrants to blue states on the southern border this year, as Texas has introduced tougher policies and rhetoric to combat the problem in the absence of federal aid. This trend continues.
Border Patrol apprehended more than 141,000 illegal immigrants in February, according to internal U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data provided to Fox News. More than 70% of these states are run by Democratic governors, including Arizona, California, and New Mexico.
Texas, home to five of the nine Border Patrol agents along its southern border and traditionally the most active state, apprehended about 42,000 illegal immigrants in February, more than any other state in the nation. This corresponds to just under 30% of the total number of arrests.
FILE: Migrants attempt to cross the Mexico-U.S. border despite increased security in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on February 1, 2024. (David Peinado/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In recent months, Texas has been testing the limits of how far the state can go to stop illegal immigrants from leaving the country, frustrating the Biden administration in the process.
The Justice Department on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block a new Texas law that would allow police to arrest immigrants who enter the country illegally.
The emergency request comes after a federal appeals court blocked U.S. District Judge David Ezra’s sweeping veto of the law signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
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The law is scheduled to take effect Saturday unless the Supreme Court intervenes. The Justice Department said in court that the law would significantly change “the status quo that has existed between the United States on immigration for almost 150 years.”
Under Texas law, state authorities can arrest people suspected of entering the country illegally. Those arrested must agree to a Texas judge’s order to leave the country or face a misdemeanor charge of illegally entering the United States. Immigrants who do not leave the country after being ordered to do so can be arrested again and charged with more serious crimes.
FILE: Concertina wire lines a road as members of Congress tour areas near the Texas-Mexico border on January 3, 2024 in Eagle Pass, Texas.a (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
The battle over the Texas immigration law, known as Senate Bill 4, is a battle between Texas officials and the Biden administration over how much the state can do to secure the Texas-Mexico border and prevent illegal border crossings. This is one of the most common disputes.
Several Republican governors support Mr. Abbott’s efforts, saying the federal government is not doing enough to enforce current immigration laws.
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Mr. Abbott’s attempts to stop illegal border crossings include installing floating barriers on the Rio Grande and razor wire along the state border with Mexico. National Guard agents also blocked U.S. Border Patrol agents from entering the Eagle Pass riverside park previously used by federal agents to process migrants.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
