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Migrants crossing the Rio Grande (archive)
Photo: Herika Martinez / AFP
The White House has accused Texas state authorities of preventing border patrol agents from rescuing migrants drowning in the Rio Grande River. "On Friday night, a woman and two children drowned near Eagle Pass, and Texas officials prevented U.S. Border Patrol from providing emergency assistance," a White House spokesman said Sunday.
While the exact circumstances of these "tragic deaths" on the border with Mexico continue to be investigated, one thing is already clear, spokesman Angelo Fernandez Hernandez added: The "political maneuvers" of arch-conservative Texas Governor Greg Abbott are "cruel, inhumane and dangerous." The U.S. Border Patrol must have access to the border to enforce our laws," the spokesperson stressed.
Rep. Henry Cuellar of President Joe Biden's Democratic Party had already said on Saturday that representatives of the Texas National Guard had prevented U.S. border patrol agents from rushing to the aid of migrants drowning in the Rio Grande. This is a "tragedy" for which the state of Texas bears responsibility.
The Texas authorities presented the incident differently: The U.S. Border Patrol had informed the National Guard about an emergency situation of migrants. A unit of the National Guard then searched the Rio Grande with spotlights and night vision devices, but did not see any migrants in distress. However, the National Guardsmen had seen that the Mexican authorities had carried out an operation on their side of the border river – and then ended their own operation.
Contentious issue between Biden administration and Texas
The Biden administration and Governor Abbott have long been at odds over securing the U.S.-Mexico border. Abbott accuses the government in Washington of doing nothing about illegal border crossings. In the meantime, the Texas National Guard has taken sole control of one section of the border. Actually, border protection in the USA is the task of the federal authorities.
Border policy is a particularly controversial issue in the U.S. and extremely sensitive politically for Biden. The opposition Republicans accuse the Democrat of allowing hundreds of thousands of foreigners into the country unhindered, fueling fears of an increase in crime and drug problems.
Biden's right-wing populist predecessor Donald Trump had already made the construction of a border wall with Mexico a central campaign issue during the 2016 election campaign – and is now doing so again with a view to his intended candidacy for the presidential election in November.
asc/AFP