In a frantic scene at the border, dozens of babies and small children were thrown over the river that separates the US from Mexico in El Paso, Texas, as more than 1,000 migrants rushed the border Wednesday afternoon, the US Border Patrol confirmed.
Exclusive photos captured by The Post show desperate parents throwing their children over the international boundary Wednesday — after rumors circulated on social media that they would be allowed entry into the US if they surrendered themselves to immigration agents.
The false information spread on social media and caused a stampede, as frantic families with kids in their arms ran for miles, hoping to make it to “the front of the line,” The Post witnessed.
The hordes, mostly Venezuelans, crowded near a gate in the border wall where they believed they could seek asylum if they surrendered to the Border Patrol.
However, the agency said the migrants were being given misinformation and that it is still enforcing Title 42, which means Cubans, Guatemalans, Haitians, Hondurans, Mexicans, Nicaraguans, Salvadorans and Venezuelans who cross the international boundary illegally are automatically expelled from the country and returned to Mexico.
Dozens of small children and babies were thrown over the river that separates the US from Mexico as their desperate parents wrongly believed they would be able to gain legal entry into El Paso,
Texas.James Keivom for NY Post
The children were tossed over the international boundary as 1,000 migrants, mostly Venezuelans, rushed the US-Mexico border Wednesday.James Keivom for NY Post
The frantic race to toss children over the border started due to a false rumor on social media.James Keivom for NY Post
The migrants believed that they would be allowed to enter the country if they surrendered to Border Patrol.James Keivom for NY Post
“People should not believe smugglers or others claiming the borders are open,” tweeted US Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz. “The borders are not open, and people should not make the dangerous journey. Migrants making an unlawful entry are subject to expulsion and repatriation.”
This isn’t the first time social media rumors have caused havoc in El Paso. Pandemonium at one of the international bridges was likely started by cartels on March 12.
Wild video also captured frantic migrants, including the elderly and young children, storming the bridge from Juarez, Mexico, to El Paso on Sunday — spurred by fake online claims that the US was giving asylum seekers a break that day.
Despite the rumors on social media, the US Border Patrol denied claims that the border was open and said the migrants would be expelled to Mexico.James Keivom for NY Post
Border Patrol confirmed that Title 42 is still being enforced.James Keivom for NY Post
A migrant catching a dog at the border.James Keivom for NY Post
Clad in riot gear, officers from US Customs and Border Protection shut down the bridge to prevent anyone from coming in.
The majority of the migrants have been in waiting in Juarez for months, hoping to get legal asylum in the US. Many are waiting for asylum interviews with American officials that can take weeks, if not months, to schedule.
“When you have families who have been waiting months to try to seek asylum … and they continue to have doors slammed in their faces — I think the desperation sets in,” Melissa Lopez, executive director of the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services, told El Paso station KTSM.
The rush to the border was triggered by false information on social media that the border was open.James Keivom for NY Post
Penniless, many of them have turned to washing car windows at intersections or begging for money to get food to eat. Mexican officials have become increasingly hostile to them and started rounding them up for panhandling.
On Monday night, the migrant facility where migrants were being held caught fire after some ignited stacked mattress after learning they were due to be deported — killing 39 people who were locked in the cells. Mexican officials are investigating the blaze and the role that eight employees played by not freeing the migrants as fire and smoke spread.
Video of the fire that killed 39 migrants in Juarez, Mexico, Monday night showed Mexican officials leaving migrants to die in locked cells while flames spread.National Institute of Migration/AFP via Getty Images
Border officials said migrants who cannot be expelled under Title 42 and have no legal basis to remain in the US would be removed from the country.
Source: nypost.com
