After Texas fenced off parks along the US-Mexico border and began pushing back Border Patrol agents, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott explained why at a campaign stop near Houston.
“We’re not allowing the Border Patrol on that property anymore,” Abbott said Friday, drawing applause from supporters as he endorsed a state lawmaker running for re-election.
He expressed frustration over immigrants entering the US illegally through the border town of Eagle Pass and federal agents loading them onto buses.
“We said, ‘We’ve owned it. We’re not going to let this happen again,'” Abbott said.
Later that night, the US Department of Homeland Security said three migrants, including two children, drowned near the park after Texas officials “physically barred” Border Patrol agents from entering. Mexican authorities pulled the bodies, each wearing a jacket, from the water across the Rio Grande.
The weekend deaths have heightened tensions between Texas and the Biden administration.
Texas Department of Public Safety officers guard the entrance to Shelby Park on January 11, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas. AP
They also sparked fresh criticism from Democrats over Abbott’s aggressive moves to crack down on illegal crossings, accusing the measures of putting migrants at risk.
US authorities described the drowning as underscoring the need for Border Patrol agents to have access to the area around Shelby Park, which was closed by Texas earlier this week.
“US Border Patrol must have access to the border to enforce our laws,” White House spokesman Angelo Fernández Hernández said in a statement.
The Justice Department on Jan. 12 asked the Supreme Court to order Texas to stop blocking Border Patrol agents from parts of the US-Mexico border where large numbers of migrants have crossed in recent months. AP
On Sunday evening, the Texas Department of the Army issued a statement disputing the US government’s account, calling it “absolutely inaccurate” that government personnel prevented the Border Patrol from rescuing drowning migrants.
“At the time the Border Patrol requested access, the drowning had occurred, Mexican authorities were recovering the body, and the Border Patrol communicated this fact to TMD personnel at the scene,” the department said.
The Biden administration stood by its initial account Sunday, saying in a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that Texas denied Border Patrol agents access before they knew the immigrant had died.
Three migrants, including two children, drowned near the park after Texas officials “physically prevented” Border Patrol agents from entering, according to the US Department of Homeland Security. AP
In direct contradiction to the Texas version of events, Homeland Security said agents at the time knew only that the migrants were trying to cross the river.
“Texas has demonstrated that even in the most urgent circumstances, it will not allow Border Patrol agents to access the border to conduct law enforcement and emergency response activities,” wrote Jonathan E. Meyer, Homeland Security general counsel.
Meyer threatened legal action if Texas did not restore access by the end of Wednesday.
The park sits on a major corridor for illegal immigrants from Mexico and was at the center of Abbott’s aggressive attempt to stop them, known as Operation Lone Star.
Migrants are periodically swept to their deaths by the currents of the Rio Grande.
US Representative Henry Cuellar, a Democrat who represents a Texas border district, acknowledged Sunday that state officials are investigating emergency calls and looking for migrants.
Migrants are processed by US Customs and Border Protection officials after crossing the US-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas. James Keivom
“However, the bottom line is that the Border Patrol has been prevented from entering Shelby Park,” Cuellar said in a statement.
Texas officials said Border Patrol agents had requested access to find other immigrants believed to have been with those who died.
Two were arrested by state troopers, including one who was transported to medics with “hypothermic conditions.”
The Biden administration said in a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that Texas denied Border Patrol agents access before they knew the immigrant had died. James Keivom
The statement did not say whether Border Patrol agents were allowed to be in the park.
Throughout the summer, thousands of people cross illegally into the US through Eagle Pass.
That number dwindled but rose again in December as thousands of immigrants overwhelmed federal resources.
Migrants crossing the Rio Grande River into the United States are picked up by US Customs and Border Protection officials. James Keivom
But a sharp drop was recorded in early January after Mexico stepped up immigration enforcement.
The 50-acre park is owned by the city, but it is used by the state Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department to patrol border crossings.
Earlier this week, Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas questioned why the state is closing the park now, given that daily concerns in the region have subsided in recent weeks.
Border Patrol agents requested access to find other immigrants believed to have been with those who died, according to Texas officials. James Keivom
He said the state government did not warn city officials and did not offer a timetable for when the park would reopen.
On Friday, the Justice Department told the US Supreme Court that Texas has taken control of Shelby Park and is not allowing Border Patrol agents to enter.
Texas acknowledged seizing the city park but told the court that the federal government had abused its actions and that it was trying to resolve any disputes over access.
Texas has come under repeated scrutiny over efforts to curb border crossings.
Abbott has bussed more than 100,000 migrants into the Democratic-led city, despite cold winter conditions.
He has also hung razor wire on the border and installed buoy barriers on the Rio Grande.
Melissa R. Cigarroa, a city councilwoman in Laredo and a member of the Wall Without Borders Coalition, was among those who attended a vigil Saturday in Shelby Park to mark the deaths of immigrants who have died along the Rio Grande.
He said attendees passed through gates with armed National Guard members and they could see law enforcement officers and vehicles gathered near the river.
He said the scene, coupled with the reason for the ceremony, made him think about “how little people’s lives matter in this decision.”
“People are dying, and we know now that barriers mean nothing,” he said.
___ Stengle reported from Dallas. Associated Press reporters Paul J. Weber in Austin and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this story.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
