Texas authorities have denied accusations that the state's law enforcement prevented Customs and Border Protection from rescuing three migrants who were drowning in the Rio Grande on Friday.
The Department of Homeland Security stated Saturday that Texas' National Guard "did not grant access to Border Patrol agents to save the migrants," The Hill reported.
On Thursday, the state guard blocked access to Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas, which is the primary access point for CBP to the river.
"In responding to a distress call from the Mexican government, Border Patrol agents were physically barred by Texas officials from entering the park. The Texas governor's policies are cruel, dangerous, and inhumane, and Texas' blatant disregard for federal authority over immigration poses grave risks," DHS said in a statement.
DHS said that Mexican authorities recovered the drowned bodies, a woman and two children.
The Justice Department had argued on Friday in a court filing that blocking federal access to the park could put migrants in danger, stating that "because Border Patrol can no longer access or view this stretch of the border, Texas has effectively prevented Border Patrol from monitoring the border to determine whether a migrant requires the emergency aid that the court of appeals expressly excepted from the injunction."
The Texas Military Department (TMD) stated Saturday that one of its units had searched the river after being alerted of the situation by CBP but did not find any migrants, according to The Hill.
"At no time did TMD security personnel along the river observe any distressed migrants, nor did TMD turn back any illegal immigrants from the U.S. during this period," the statement read.
Jeremy Frankel ✉
Jeremy Frankel is a Newsmax writer reporting on news and politics.
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