Migrant Mother and Two Children Drown Attempting to Cross Rio Grande Into Texas
A migrant woman and her two children tragically drowned while attempting to cross the Rio Grande into Texas.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) disclosed this devastating incident in a press release on Friday. He also expressed frustration that state authorities denied access to federal agents who had arrived to search for the family near the river, as reported by Border Report.
“This is a tragedy, and the state bears responsibility,” Cuellar said. “Border Patrol was unable to provide assistance to the migrants and try to rescue them.”
Cuellar explained that the woman and her children were swept away by the river’s currents near Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas. He further noted that U.S. Border Patrol agents were hindered from rendering assistance because troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety had previously blocked access to the park.
According to Cuellar, at approximately 9 p.m. on Friday, Border Patrol agents were alerted to six distressed migrants in the river. They attempted to reach out to the Texas Military Department, Texas National Guard, and other state authorities by phone but were unsuccessful.
Eventually, the agents met with members of the Texas Military Department and Texas National Guard at the entrance gate of Shelby Park. They informed them about the migrants’ perilous situation. Cuellar revealed that despite the emergency, the soldiers from the Texas Military Department did not grant the agents access to the migrants and instead promised to send a soldier to investigate.
Texas Faces Legal Challenge for Border Security Measures
On Saturday, Mexican authorities recovered the bodies of the three migrants, as stated by the congressman.
According to Border Report, Colorado’s Justice Department asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to tell Texas to stop making it hard to get to the 50-acre park.
When questioned about the incident, a spokesperson for Governor Greg Abbott remarked, “Texas is holding the line at our southern border with miles of additional razor wire and anti-climb barriers to deter and repel the record-high levels of illegal immigration invited by President Biden’s reckless open border policies.”
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