None of the 42 migrants arrested in Sunday’s clash at the US-Mexico border will be criminally charged.
Two of the arrested migrants had been referred to the Department of Justice for prosecution, but US Customs and Border Patrol later asked the DOJ to drop the charges, an administration official told CNN.
A “vast majority” of the 42 arrested on Sunday were adult males, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Tyler Houlton, a DHS spokesman, told reporters on Tuesday that he believes seven females, “a few children” and 27 adult males were arrested.
CNN does not know the current status of those that were arrested.
Sunday’s arrests were the tipping point of weeks of anticipation as thousands of migrants journeyed from Central America through Mexico in hopes of seeking asylum in the US.
Though little evidence was offered to substantiate the claim, Trump administration officials have repeatedly characterized hundreds of migrants in the group as criminals.
Then on Sunday, a group of the migrants attempted to cross into the US near the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Some threw projectiles that struck several agents, according to US Customs and Border Protection. Authorities on the US side of the border used tear gas to disperse the migrants.
As many as 2,500 people were in line to seek entry at San Ysidro on Tuesday, according to CBP Deputy Commissioner Robert Perez. With the added large numbers of migrants coming from Central America to seek legal US entry and claim asylum, Perez said, the general two days it takes CBP in San Diego to process people could increase to five or six weeks.