AUSTIN, Texas — Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) has accused Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) of bearing responsibility for the recent deaths of three immigrants who drowned while attempting to cross the border. Cuellar, a longstanding critic of the Biden administration’s border policies, condemned Abbott for blocking federal Border Patrol agents from a 2.5-mile strip in Eagle Pass, Texas, where the tragic incident occurred. The drownings transpired shortly after the Justice Department cautioned that Abbott’s actions would hinder federal law enforcement from responding to emergencies.
This is a tragedy, and the state bears responsibility, Cuellar stated in a released statement on Saturday.
According to Cuellar’s office, the incident took place around 9 p.m. CT on Friday when a group of six immigrants attempted to wade across the river from Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, into Eagle Pass and encountered distress.
Cuellar highlighted that Border Patrol agents in the area were aware of the immigrants’ plight, even though they had been fenced out of the area since Wednesday. Agents attempted to reach Texas officials within the fenced area to alert state authorities.
However, when agents were unable to make contact with the Texas Military Department, the Texas National Guard, or the Texas Department of Public Safety command post by phone, they proceeded to a vehicle entry point outside Shelby Park, which Abbott had seized from federal employees earlier in the week.
However, Texas Military Department soldiers stated they would not grant access to the migrants, even in the event of an emergency, and that they would send a soldier to investigate the situation, Cuellar explained.
Cuellar was notified on Saturday morning that three of the six immigrants had drowned and that Mexican authorities had recovered their bodies on the border.
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) from San Antonio echoed Cuellar’s sentiments and also placed blame on Abbott for the drownings.
Texas officials blocked U.S. Border Patrol agents from doing their job and allowed two children to drown in the Rio Grande, Castro stated in his own released statement. Governor Abbott’s inhumanity has no limit. Everyone who enables his cruelty has blood on their hands.
In a surprising turn of events, Texas has seized city land in Eagle Pass without prior notice, according to city leaders. Abbott aims to fence out all federal police from the international boundary, with state personnel turning back undocumented immigrants, undeterred by Border Patrol.
The Biden administration swiftly responded, with the Justice Department filing a memo on Friday morning and requesting the Supreme Court’s intervention. The DOJ stated that Texas began seizing control of Eagle Pass shortly after they filed a separate memo on Wednesday evening, triggering the ongoing battle between state and federal authorities over whether Border Patrol has the right to navigate through state-installed concertina wire.
The city land seizure aimed to obstruct federal agents, enabling state officials to turn away unauthorized immigrants and prevent them from being arrested and potentially released into the United States.
Texas’s new actions since the government’s filing demonstrate an escalation of the State’s measures to block Border Patrol’s ability to patrol or even to surveil the border and be in a position to respond to emergencies, wrote Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar in the Friday memo.
Photographs included in the memo, taken by the DOJ, depict Texas National Guard members guarding entrances to the land where Border Patrol agents would typically pass through to apprehend immigrants crossing the Rio Grande onto the riverbank.
Abbott’s office declined to comment and referred questions to the Texas Military Department.
The White House, Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not respond to requests for comment.
The tragic deaths of three immigrants attempting to cross the border have sparked intense criticism aimed at Governor Abbott, particularly from Texas Democratic representatives. As the blame continues to be placed on state and federal officials, the border crisis remains a focal point of concern for both lawmakers and the public.
The story is still unfolding, and the implications of these deaths and the subsequent actions of the Texas government are likely to be examined and debated extensively in the coming days and weeks.
Important note: The details provided in this news article are based on the information available at the time of writing. As the situation develops, further updates may emerge.
