(Reuters) – U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar reported that a woman and two children drowned in the Rio Grande while trying to enter the U.S. from Mexico on Friday night. Texas military officers prevented federal border officials from going to their aid during the incident. This comes amidst an intensifying dispute over immigration between Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, and the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat.
The migrants were attempting to cross the river near Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, according to Cuellar’s statement. This is not a legal port of entry and was recently fortified by the Texas National Guard with new concertina wire and fencing.
In a court filing in the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, the U.S. government accused Texas of erecting the new barriers to block federal Border Patrol agents from reaching a boat ramp they use to access the Rio Grande.
On Saturday, Texas responded, saying that federal Border Patrol agents had largely stopped using the boat ramp in recent months and were working promptly to address any current objections from federal law enforcement.
Cuellar’s statement also mentioned that federal Border Patrol agents learned of a group of migrants in distress at about 9 p.m. trying to cross the Rio Grande. They tried to contact Texas officials by telephone, but were unsuccessful, and then went in person to speak to the Texas Military Department and the Texas National Guard officials at the Shelby Park entrance.
“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’s statement said.
Mexican authorities recovered the bodies of the woman and two children on Saturday. Their identities have not been disclosed. Cuellar attributed responsibility to the State for the tragedy.
A spokesperson for Texas’s governor referred questions to the Texas Military Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the Border Patrol did not immediately respond to questions.
The dispute before the Supreme Court is part of broader antagonism between the Texas governor and the Biden administration over a record-breaking number of migrants illegally crossing the border since Biden took office in 2021. Texas has increasingly sought to implement its own border controls, historically a federal government domain.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
