Authorities in Texas have refuted allegations that state law enforcement obstructed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents from rescuing three migrants facing a life-threatening situation in the Rio Grande on Friday.
According to The Hill, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a statement on Saturday, asserting that Texas’ National Guard had not granted access to Border Patrol agents to facilitate the rescue of the distressed migrants.
The incident took place on Thursday when the state’s National Guard blocked access to Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas, which serves as the primary entry point for CBP to reach the river.
DHS voiced its concerns, stating, “In responding to a distress call from the Mexican government, Border Patrol agents were physically barred by Texas officials from entering the park. The Texas governor’s policies are cruel, dangerous, and inhumane, and Texas’ blatant disregard for federal authority over immigration poses grave risks.”
DHS also disclosed that the drowned bodies of a woman and two children were later recovered by Mexican authorities.
The Justice Department had expressed its reservations on Friday in a court filing, highlighting that blocking federal access to the park could endanger migrants. The filing argued that “because Border Patrol can no longer access or view this stretch of the border, Texas has effectively prevented Border Patrol from monitoring the border to determine whether a migrant requires the emergency aid that the court of appeals expressly excepted from the injunction.”
The Texas Military Department (TMD) countered these claims on Saturday, stating that one of its units had conducted a search along the river after being alerted to the situation by CBP. However, they reported that no distressed migrants were found during the search.
The TMD statement emphasized, “At no time did TMD security personnel along the river observe any distressed migrants, nor did TMD turn back any illegal immigrants from the U.S. during this period.”
