BROWNSVILLE, Texas — A Texas congressman said Saturday that three migrants, including two children, drowned while trying to reach the U.S. near the border town of Eagle Pass, where the Biden administration says Texas has begun denying entry to U.S. agents border police.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat, accused the state of failing to act amid escalating tensions between Texas and the U.S. government over immigration enforcement. On Friday, the Justice Department told the U.S. Supreme Court that Texas had taken control of an area known as Shelby Park and was not letting in Border Patrol agents.
The park is located in Eagle Pass, a key crossing point for migrants entering from Mexico and the center of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s aggressive effort to stop illegal crossings, known as Operation Lone Star. Migrants are periodically killed when swept away by the currents of the Rio Grande.
An Abbott spokesperson referred questions to the Texas Military Department, which did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Saturday.
Cuellar, whose district includes the border with Texas, said Mexican authorities alerted Border Patrol on Friday to the distressed migrants struggling in the river. He said federal agents tried without success to make the call and relay the information to members of the Texas National Guard in Shelby Park. Officers then visited the park entrance but were turned away, according to the congressman, who said officers were told a Guard member would be sent to investigate the situation.
“This is a tragedy and the state bears responsibility,” said a statement from Cuellar, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee’s Homeland Security subcommittee.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection had no immediate comment.
The 50-acre park is owned by the city but used by the state Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department to patrol border crossings. Although the number of daily crossings dropped from thousands to about 500, state authorities this week installed fences and stationed military vehicles at the entrance to deny entry to the public and border police officers, according to a court filing this week.
On Saturday, Texas filed a response in court disputing claims that Border Patrol agents were denied access to the park. They argued that Border Patrol had scaled back its presence since the summer, when the state shifted their resources and manpower to the park.
Federal agents also gained access to the area to secure supplies, the state’s response said.
Cuellar said there was no immediate information available on the nationalities, relationships and ages of the victims.
On Saturday, members of the public held a ceremony in the park to commemorate the deaths of migrants in their region. Julio Vasquez, a pastor who attended, said access was granted after he made extensive requests to the city and shared photos showing the entrance still fenced and guarded by National Guard members and military vehicles.