214 migrants arrested Texas border riot; 9 face felony rioting charges

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX) — The Texas Department of Public Safety officials said they arrested 214 migrants from the March 21 border riot along the southern border.

DPS officials said the migrants were charged with riot after they tried to breach the concertina wire and ambush the National Guard troops while trying to enter the country illegally.

The group was in federal custody for improper entry and have now been rebooked on state rioting charges.

All 214 migrants will be held until they can be taken by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement.

The group consist of adult males and females from Venezuela, Guatemala, Ecuador, Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador.

Nine migrants, among the many that were arrested, are facing felony rioting charges.

Seven of those people are in custody at the El Paso County Jail.

1. Junior Evaristo Benitez-Martinez, 21, of Venezuela (rioting – felony, criminal mischief and assault public servant)
2. Keider Jose Zurita Aponte, 21, of Venezuela (rioting – felony, criminal mischief and assault public servant)
3. Gregori Jose Guilarte-Acosta, 18, of Venezuela (rioting – felony, criminal mischief and assault public servant)
4. Omar Alejandro Graterol Colmenares, 27, Venezuela (rioting – felony, criminal mischief and assault public servant)
5. Joshua Fernando Garcia Juarez, 18, of Guatemala (rioting – felony)
6. Luis Jesus Chacon, 27, of Venezuela (rioting – felony)
7. Martin Elias Villasis Cedeno, 46, of Ecuador (rioting – felony)

El Paso's District Attorney Bill Hicks said the nine migrants facing felony charges after Texas DPS identified them as the group "instigators."

"These were the people that were kind of in the front, that was pushing through, those were the people who were identified and have been charged with felony riot and felony charges of assault of a public servant, Hicks told KFOX.

Hicks explained that seven of the nine migrants facing felony charges were indicted.

Those 7 did not go in front of a magistrate for a bond reduction hearing because once they are indicted they go in front of a felony court and the felony court does not refer to the jail magistrate for bond reduction hearings, he said.

Troopers released photos of these seven on Wednesday.

Venezuelans, 34-year-old Juan Jose Colorado Gutierrez and 22-year-old Gabriel Enrique Angarita Carrasquero, are wanted for felony rioting and assault on a public servant.