Published January 15, 2024
EAGLE PASS, Texas — Texas Governor Greg Abbott is pushing back against accusations that the Texas Military Department refused to allow Border Patrol agents to enter a city park in the heart of downtown Eagle Pass to rescue a migrant family who later drowned. The governor called the claim “wholly inaccurate.” On Sunday evening, Abbott posted a rebuttal to the accusations on X (formerly Twitter), saying the deaths of a migrant woman and her two children were because of the “Biden Open Border magnet.”
As reported by Breitbart Texas, on Friday evening, 33-year-old Virterma de la Sancha and her two children, ages ten and eight, attempted to cross the Rio Grande into Eagle Pass along with several other migrants. After struggling with the currents, members of the group placed an emergency phone call, prompting the arrival of law enforcement and military soldiers in Mexico. Shortly after their arrival, authorities in Mexico pulled the lifeless bodies of the migrant mother and her two children from the Rio Grande.
A source within CBP, not authorized to speak to the media, told Breitbart Texas the Border Patrol was contacted to assist in rescuing any members of the group who may have reached the United States side of the river. Shortly afterward, according to the source, a conflict ensued regarding access to the park between members of the Texas National Guard and Border Patrol agents dispatched to launch a rescue attempt.
According to a timeline provided by the Texas Military Department on Sunday, the Border Patrol’s request to enter the park came after the migrant drownings had already occurred and the bodies of the family were being pulled from the water by Mexican authorities. The CBP source confirmed the probability of the timeline with Breitbart Texas, adding, “More than likely, they probably had already drowned. There were a lot of moving pieces trying to get state authorities on the phone to gain access and that took time.”
“Having to explain the situation to the guard members at the gate exhausted time as well,” the source continued. “It’s highly likely, they had drowned already. It only takes a few minutes in that current to go under and disappear”.
The park was seized by the state on Thursday, a day before the drownings. The source told Breitbart Texas the move further restricted access to the river that had already been made more difficult by the placement of concertina wire, saying, “If you don’t have a boat to conduct rescues, getting through the wire to through a flotation device on foot is near impossible and has been for a while.”
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SOURCE: www.breitbart.com
RELATED: Biden administration warns it will take action if Texas does not stop blocking federal agents from U.S. border area
Published January 15, 2024
The Biden administration on Sunday demanded that Texas officials stop preventing federal Border Patrol agents from entering a section of the U.S. southern border commandeered by state National Guard soldiers last week, calling the actions “clearly unconstitutional,” according to a letter obtained by CBS News.
If the Texas National Guard does not heed the Biden administration’s demand and cease its efforts to block Border Patrol’s access to a public park in the border town of Eagle Pass, the Department of Homeland Security will refer the matter to the Justice Department and explore other options, Jonathan Meyer, the top lawyer at DHS, warned in his letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Meyer said Texas’s abrupt move last week to seize control of Eagle Pass’ Shelby Park, an area where Border Patrol used to inspect and hold migrants, had “impeded” federal operations to apprehend migrants and rescue those who may be in distress. He cited the drownings of three migrants, a woman and two children, near Shelby Park on Friday.
The White House, DHS and Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar have said Texas National Guard soldiers blocked Border Patrol agents from attempting to render aid to the migrants on Friday. On Sunday, the Texas Military Department, which controls the state National Guard, disputed the claims, saying two of the migrants had already drowned when Border Patrol requested access to Shelby Park to respond to the incident. The department has not denied barring Border Patrol from entering the park.
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SOURCE: www.cbsnews.com
RELATED: Biden administration sends Texas cease-and-desist letter on border access
Published January 15, 2024
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration told Texas on Sunday to stop impeding U.S. Border Patrol access to part of the U.S.-Mexico border that the state National Guard took over last week.
In a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, obtained by NBC News, Department of Homeland Security General Counsel Jonathan Meyer said a combination of Texas National Guard soldiers, equipment and physical barriers is unconstitutionally restricting Border Patrol access to about 2½ miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.
“The recent actions by the State of Texas have impeded operations of the Border Patrol,” Meyer wrote. “Those actions conflict with the authority and duties of Border Patrol under federal law and are preempted under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution.”
Meyer added: “Texas’s actions also improperly seek to regulate the federal government. I am writing to demand that Texas immediately cease and desist any actions taken by the State that block Border Patrol’s full access to the U.S.-Mexico border in and around the Shelby Park area.”
Meyer noted an incident Friday when a woman and two children drowned in the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas.
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SOURCE: www.nbcnews.com
