According to the El Paso Times, during an online teleconference bond hearing, Judge Humberto Acosta from El Paseo, Texas, ordered the release of a group of undocumented migrants who were arrested in connection with the March 21 stampede. This incident, which was captured in a viral video by the New York Post, showed the migrants overwhelming National Guard troops.

“It is the ruling of the court is that all the rioting participation cases will be released on their own recognizance,” Acosta stated, according to the outlet.

Acosta publicly criticized the El Paso District Attorney’s Office during the court session, alleging that they were unprepared to conduct detention hearings for each defendant following his denial of a request for postponement to schedule hearings at a later date. A large crowd of migrants at the El Paso border, predominantly Venezuelan men as per reports, were observed in a chaotic situation as they breached a chain-link fence while National Guard members instructed them to retreat.

In the aftermath, the Texas Department of Public Safety carried out arrests, pressing charges against some individuals for assaulting a public servant by pushing down National Guard personnel, as reported by the El Paso Times. Although the exact number of undocumented immigrants detained remains unconfirmed, Acosta indicated during the hearing that “hundreds” of migrants were eligible for a hearing within 48 hours, as detailed by the El Paso Times.

“So if the DA’s office is telling me that they are not ready to go, what we’re going to do is we’re going to release all these individuals on their own recognizance,” Acosta continued.

According to reports from El Paso Times, despite the federal immigration hold on their records, two Colombian men who were charged with criminal mischief for allegedly cutting border fencing were released by Magistrate Judge Antonio Aun on Sunday. The men had been jailed with a $2,000 bond. The ongoing battle between Texas and the federal government over control of the state’s southern border continues, with Texas officials asserting their constitutional right to defend the state due to the increasing number of border crossings. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens has called for stricter consequences, including jail time, removal, or a ban for migrants caught crossing the border illegally.