AUSTIN, Texas — Residents of an El Paso, Texas, neighborhood situated next to the U.S.-Mexico border have seen an increase in illegal immigrants running through the neighborhood in an attempt to evade arrest by Border Patrol, according to a new report.
The incidents are growing more frequent that a local TV news crew dispatched Wednesday night to investigate the claims by residents of the Medina neighborhood a few miles east of downtown observed 15 people who made it across the border without being caught climb through a hole in a fence and into the neighborhood, according to KTSM.
The individuals ran across the Cesar Chavez Border Highway and avoided getting struck by a vehicle — not an uncommon occurrence with the uptick in illegal immigration attempts.
The neighborhood is roughly 2 miles from Interstate 10, a major highway used by smugglers to take immigrants quickly into the city.
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One resident, Patty Legarreta, said illegal immigrants are not just passing through, but they have stopped to ask for protection, while others take off their clothes to avoid being spotted by police looking for someone with their description.
“This guy came up to me and just asked if he could hide in my garage for a few minutes, so it startled me. I said no. He didn’t bother me; he wasn’t aggressive. He wasn’t assertive or anything — I just said no and he kept on walking. He had a little bit of blood on him, a little on his hands, a little on his face,” Legarreta told KTSM.
Another resident, Mary Luevano, showed clothing that people had left behind while perusing their community.
“[They] go through the sidewalks, and sometimes they’re changing and leaving the clothes out in the street,” said Luevano.
Luevano added that she has seen fewer Border Patrol agents on patrol recently.
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“Areas like Fonseca right now are areas that are being exploited by the criminal organizations attempting to get migrants that are neither candidate for asylum or will be expelled under Title 42,” Border Patrol agent Carlos Rivera, a spokesman for the El Paso Sector, told KTSM.
