EAGLE PASS, TX – A tragic incident occurred Friday night when a woman and two children drowned in the Rio Grande. According to federal officials, U.S. border agents were unable to intervene due to restrictions imposed by the Texas National Guard, under the command of Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that the Mexican government alerted U.S. Border Patrol agents of the migrants’ perilous situation. However, they were physically barred from accessing the area by Texas officials. The victims were part of a group of six migrants struggling in the river, as revealed by Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas.
Mexican authorities recovered the bodies of three migrants on Saturday, although their identities and exact ages remain undisclosed. Despite efforts to contact the Texas Military Department, the Texas National Guard, and DPS Command Post, Border Patrol agents were unable to get through, according to Cuellar.
The Texas Military Department contradicted this account, stating that they were informed of a distress report but found no migrants in need of assistance in the river. They were later alerted to an incident on the Mexican side of the river, which they claimed did not warrant their intervention.
The Texas Department of Homeland Security redirected inquiries related to the incident to the Texas Military Department, stating their non-involvement. A White House spokesperson criticized Governor Abbott’s actions, labeling them as “cruel inhumane and dangerous” political stunts.
Eagle Pass Mayor, Rolando Salinas Jr., disclosed during a news conference that the state had taken emergency custody of Shelby Park, which lies along the river and is the area where the migrants were in distress. This move is part of an ongoing legal dispute between the DHS and Texas over access to the border in Eagle Pass.
The DHS filed a request this week with the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent the state from blocking federal agents from the area. The White House criticized the state’s efforts to obstruct Border Patrol agents, describing them as political theater.