An accused instigator of the violent El Paso border riot on March 21, Gabriel Enrique Angarita Carrasquero, 22, remains at large in the US, despite allegedly assaulting a Texas soldier, according to an internal federal memo reviewed by The Post. Carrasquero, a Venezuelan migrant, is one of the two accused riot instigators who were released into the US by Border Patrol following the incident. The other eight instigators are now in state custody and face serious charges.
Texas authorities have been unable to track down Carrasquero, as the address he provided to Border Patrol agents in Phoenix does not match his actual whereabouts. It has also been revealed that Border agents failed to review footage of the border riot to identify Carrasquero’s role before releasing him. Furthermore, it appears that he was not placed in the Alternatives to Detention electronic monitoring scheme, which allows Border Patrol to monitor migrants’ whereabouts within the country.
According to internal documents previously seen by The Post, a “cooperating migrant” informed Border agents that Carrasquero was an “instigator” among the group that stormed the fence. The informant claimed to have witnessed Carrasquero using a rope to pull down the gate, leading to the rush of migrants into the United States, bypassing the National Guard. However, this information has yet to be corroborated.
Carrasquero was one of two alleged instigators of the riot released by Border Patrol. The other instigator, Juan Jose Colorado Gutierrez, 35, was later captured by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) as he had been enlisted in the Alternatives to Detention program.
Both Carrasquero and Gutierrez allegedly admitted to entering the US illegally with the group that rushed the National Guard, according to documents seen by The Post. However, Border Patrol released them due to a lack of detention space.
In addition to the nine accused ringleaders facing felony charges, 214 individuals have been charged with rioting for their involvement in the attempted incursion, which was captured on camera by The Post. Riot charges carry a potential sentence of up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.
El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks emphasized the seriousness with which his office and the governor’s office are treating the situation, stating that such levels of violence are unusual for the city. El Paso has since increased border fortifications, adding more manpower and wire to deter illegal crossings.
While areas like San Diego, California, are now experiencing an increase in migrant apprehensions, migrants continue to find ways to evade authorities and cross into the US illegally. On average, approximately 750 migrants sneak into the country each day, with over 900 migrants known to have crossed the border undetected in a single day on Sunday, according to a report.
