Three immigrants drowned The Biden administration criticizes Texas' obstruction of the border with Mexico

An outspoken supporter of Donald Trump, who has made fighting immigration one of his main campaign themes, Mr. Abbott is publicly challenging the authority of the Biden administration, accusing it of “willful inaction” in the face of a record influx of migrants. Migrants at the border in recent months.

Texas and the Biden administration are also locked in a legal standoff. The Department of Justice accuses the governor of preventing the Federal Border Patrol from accomplishing its mission by blocking its access to a key section of the border with Mexico, which Texas authorities object to.

“On Friday evening, a woman and two children drowned near Eagle Pass, while Texas authorities prevented the Border Patrol from providing assistance,” White House spokesman Angelo said on Sunday.

“While we are still verifying the facts about these tragic deaths, one thing is clear: Governor Abbott’s political schemes are cruel, inhumane and dangerous. Federal Border Patrol must have access to the border to enforce our laws,” he added.

Texas Democratic Rep.-elect Henry Cuellar also accused the Texas National Guard, which this week took exclusive control of a key sector near the border town of Eagle Pass, on the Rio Grande River, “for not allowing border police access to rescue… Immigrants.”

“This is a tragedy for which the state of Texas bears responsibility,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

Barbed wire

Organizers of the Texas National Guard said in a statement reported by American media that they searched the Rio Grande area for migrants on Friday evening “with lights and night vision goggles” after the Border Patrol informed them of the existence of an “emergency”, but they did not find anyone. .

The National Guard then halted searches after noticing that Mexican authorities were “responding to an incident that occurred on the river bank,” according to the same source.

In December, a federal appeals court blocked the Border Patrol from removing or dismantling razor wire that Texas had installed near Eagle Pass to carry out its missions, unless justified by a medical emergency.

The Ministry of Justice submitted a request to the Supreme Court in early January to overturn this decision.

But this week, the Texas National Guard began installing new barriers, “effectively preventing Border Patrol agents from getting to the border or getting close to the river along this 2.5-mile segment” (about 3.7 kilometers), Biden administration legal adviser Elizabeth Prilogar. Friday.

In its written response to the Supreme Court on Saturday, “Texas admits that it has taken control of a municipal park in Eagle Pass for law enforcement and relief purposes.” But he confirms that “he was not yet aware of the current objections of the federal security services, and he is working to resolve them quickly.”