{"id":2281601,"date":"2024-06-22T06:51:01","date_gmt":"2024-06-22T10:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-soldiers-fire-pepper-ball-guns-to-deter-border-crossings\/"},"modified":"2024-06-22T06:54:53","modified_gmt":"2024-06-22T10:54:53","slug":"texas-soldiers-fire-pepper-ball-guns-to-deter-border-crossings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-soldiers-fire-pepper-ball-guns-to-deter-border-crossings\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas troops use pepper ball guns to prevent border crossings"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftexas-soldiers-fire-pepper-ball-guns-to-deter-border-crossings%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2281601&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Texas National Guard soldiers\u200d deployed at the state&#8217;s border \u2063with Mexico have started using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/portland-leftists-targeting-federal-ice-facility-in-late-night-protest-videos\/\" title=\"Portland Leftists Targeting Federal ICE Facility in Late Night \u2018Protest\u2019 (VIDEOS)\">pepper ball guns<\/a> as a\u200d deterrent against migrants illegally crossing \u2063into the United States. This\u2063 effort is \u2062part\u2064 of\u2062 Governor\u200b Greg Abbott&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-tragesser-alternatives-to-immigration-detention-are-deeply-flawed-and-poorly-timed\/\" title=\"Exclusive--Tragesser: Alternatives to Immigration Detention Are Deeply Flawed and Poorly Timed\">border security initiative<\/a>.\u2064 The soldiers have reportedly used these devices, which are\u2063 similar to paintball guns, to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/illegal-immigrant-attacks-border-patrol-agent-in-texas-as-venezuelans-attempted-to-cross-into-u-s\/\" title=\"Illegal Immigrant Attacks Border Patrol Agent in Texas as Venezuelans Attempted to Cross Into U.S.\">fire pepper balls<\/a> at migrants attempting to climb\u200d over barriers. They are trained to \u200btarget inanimate\u2064 objects \u2063near the migrants to avoid causing serious injuries.<\/p>\n<p>The use of pepper ball guns represents an \u2062escalation in tactics to prevent illegal crossings. However, this has drawn criticism from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-throws-out-challenge-to-president-trumps-bid-to-exclude-illegal-aliens-from-being-counted-in-determining-congressional-seats\/\" title=\"SCOTUS Throws Out Challenge to President Trump\u2019s Bid to Exclude Illegal Aliens from Being Counted in Determining Congressional Seats\">immigrant rights groups<\/a> who argue that it infrlicts on the rights of migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. \u2064Major\u2062 General\u200c Thomas M. Suelzer of the Texas National Guard\u2064 disclosed details about this method \u2064in\u200d a state\u200b Senate committee, emphasizing that the primary use is\u200b to halt breaches of barriers\u200d following illegal \u200ccrossings.<\/p>\n<p>Some \u2064migrants \u2063have claimed that the guards shot \u2064at them unprovoked,\u200c even when \u2064they were not trying to overcome any\u2062 barriers. Reports include an incident where migrants,\u2064 who were camped near the \u2063U.S. side\u2062 of the Rio Grande, were targeted with pepper balls. The \u2063munitions contain a chemical similar to pepper spray, which\u2063 causes burning sensations to the eyes, nose,\u2064 and throat\u200b but is\u200d not lethal.<\/p>\n<p>This \u200dnew defense strategy aims \u200dto protect \u200csoldiers \u2063in situations \u200bwhere migrants attempt to forcefully enter, such as \u200ban \u200dincident in March when a\u2064 group \u2062rushed the border. Critics, including the organization Progress Texas, have condemned\u200c these actions as cruel, reflecting a contentious\u200d political and \u200bethical debate surrounding\u2064 border security measures.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p>Texas soldiers deployed to the Mexico border have started using pepper ball guns to deter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/migrants\" title=\"\">migrants<\/a> from illegally entering the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Texas National Guard soldiers stationed on the state\u2019s southern border as part of Gov. Greg Abbott\u2019s (R-TX) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/border-security\" title=\"\">border security<\/a> initiative have shot pepper balls out of paintball gun-like machines on occasions recently when migrants attempted to climb over barriers.<\/p>\n<p>The action represents an escalation in the state\u2019s effort to prevent people from coming over fencing, but the move has angered some immigrant rights groups that accuse the state of blocking migrants who have the right to seek asylum in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>Texas National Guard Maj. Gen. Thomas M. Suelzer divulged during a Texas Senate committee hearing on <a href=\"https:\/\/capitol.texas.gov\/Committees\/MeetingsByCmte.aspx?Leg=88&#038;Chamber=S&#038;CmteCode=C517\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">June 11<\/a> that it was in the process of teaching soldiers how to operate the pepper ball guns.<\/p>\n<p>Soldiers were being instructed to \u201chit an inanimate object\u201d in order to rupture the pepper ball rather than strike people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe specifically train them: Do not shoot directly at an individual because if hit in the wrong place, it can cause serious bodily injury,\u201d Suelzer told the senators. \u201cIt is primarily used to stop a breaching of the barrier so there\u2019s already been an illegal crossing, people are now crawling through the concertina wire field and we are saying go back and they are not doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, some migrants <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2024\/06\/18\/texas-national-guard-border-migrants-pepper-ball-guns\/\" title=\"\">told<\/a> the <em>Texas Tribune<\/em> that soldiers had shot in their direction unprovoked, including when they were not attempting to cross over barriers.<\/p>\n<p>In one instance in May, migrants reported being camped out for days on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande near El Paso, south of the border barrier. Soldiers shot pepper balls toward the group, according to the <em>Texas Tribune. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>The pepper ball munitions are the same as pepper spray used by police during conflict and are not lethal. The chemical used causes the eyes, nose, and throat to tear up and burn.<\/p>\n<p>The new defense strategy is meant to protect soldiers in situations like what happened in March, when migrants <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/videos\/politics\/2024\/03\/21\/migrant-rush-texas-border-lavandera-lead-vpx.cnn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">rushed<\/a> across the border and attempted to break through.<\/p>\n<p>Progress Texas, an organization that opposes incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in the November Senate election, issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ProgressTX\/status\/1803139114461548994\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">statement<\/a> in an attempt to shame Abbott.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOperation Lone Star troops have taken to firing mace-laced \u2018pepper balls\u2019 at migrants crossing the border. The cruelty, as always, is the point,\u201d Progress Texas posted on X.<\/p>\n<p>Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris did not comment on the use of pepper ball guns but said the state is \u201cutilizing every tool and strategy to respond to this ongoing border crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe cartels continue to take advantage of the President\u2019s wide open borders to smuggle people and drugs across the border, and Texas is doing everything we can to stop them,\u201d Mahaleris said in an email.\u00a0\u201cUnder our historic border mission, Texas has allocated more than $11 billion of Texas taxpayer money to secure the border, deploying thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and DPS troopers, setting up a military base on the border, installing strategic barriers, and building our own border wall. Because of Texas\u2019\u00a0efforts to secure the border, illegal crossings\u00a0have decreased\u00a0into the state by 74%\u00a0while it\u2019s gone up 33% in states like California and Arizona.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One immigrant rights group based in El Paso, Border Network for Human Rights, said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2024\/06\/18\/texas-national-guard-border-migrants-pepper-ball-guns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">statement<\/a> that it was \u201creally concerned\u201d the state\u2019s Operation Lone Star border security initiative was \u201cescalating\u201d based on the pepper ball gun development.<\/p>\n<p>The Texas Military Department did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1672640\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1672640\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Texas National Guard soldiers, deployed to the Mexico border under Gov. Greg Abbott&#8217;s security initiative, have recently used pepper ball guns resembling paintball machines to deter migrants from entering the U.S. illegally<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2655,"featured_media":2281602,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP23131556162599.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548,538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2281601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP23131556162599.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2281601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2655"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2281601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2281601\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2281602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2281601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2281601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2281601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}