White House, Texas exchange accusations, blame after drowning deaths of 3 migrants

After Texas fenced off a park along the U.S.-Mexico border and began turning away Border Patrol agents, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott explained why at a campaign stop near Houston.

"We are not allowing Border Patrol on that property anymore," Abbott said Friday, drawing applause from supporters. He relayed frustration over migrants illegally entering the U.S. through the border city of Eagle Pass and federal agents loading them onto buses.

"We said, 'We've had it. We're not going to let this happen anymore,"' Abbott said.

Later that night, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said three migrants a woman and two children drowned after Texas officials "physically barred" Border Patrol agents from entering Shelby Park. Mexican authorities pulled the bodies from the water on the other side of the Rio Grande.

The weekend deaths intensified tensions between Texas and Joe Biden's administration. Democrats accuse Abbott's aggressive actions to curb illegal crossings as putting migrant lives at risk.

WATCH l Eagle Pass the epicentre of U.S. migrant surges:

Texas town overwhelmed by migrants declares state of emergency

1 year ago

Duration 1:54

Eagle Pass, Texas, declared a state of emergency after it was overwhelmed by thousands of people who illegally crossed the border from Mexico.

Shelby Park lies in a major corridor for migrants entering illegally from Mexico, and is at the centre of Abbott's aggressive attempts to stop them, known as Operation Lone Star.

"U.S. Border Patrol must have access to the border to enforce our laws," White House spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez said in a statement.

The Texas Military Department released a statement late Sunday disputing the U.S. government's accounts, calling them "wholly inaccurate."

"At the time that Border Patrol requested access, the drownings had occurred, Mexican authorities were recovering the bodies, and Border Patrol expressed these facts to the TMD personnel on site," the department said.

"The fact is the deaths are [because] of Biden's Open Border magnet," Abbott said separately on X, the social media platform.

Feds prepared to take Texas to court

The Biden administration stuck to 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 migrants died. In a direct contradiction of Texas's version of events, Homeland Security said agents at the time knew only that migrants were attempting to cross the river.

"Texas has demonstrated that even in the most exigent circumstances, it will not allow Border Patrol agents access to the border to conduct law enforcement and emergency response activities," wrote Jonathan E. Meyer, Homeland Security's general counsel.

Meyer threatened legal action if Texas doesn't restore access by the end of Wednesday.

WATCH l Texas installs buoys in Rio Grande:

The saw-blade buoys keeping migrants out of Texas, explained | About That

1 year ago

Duration 8:30

A federal judge ordered Texas to remove the floating buoys placed along the Rio Grande to deter Mexican migrants from crossing. Andrew Chang explains whats so threatening about these buoys and whether theyre even effective.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat who represents a Texas border district, acknowledged Sunday that state officials investigated the distress call and searched for the migrants.

"However, the bottom line is that Border Patrol was barred from entering Shelby Park," Cuellar said in a statement.

Over the summer, thousands of people were crossing illegally into the U.S. through Eagle Pass. The numbers subsided but rose again in December,when thousands of migrants overwhelmed federal resources. But a sharp decrease was noted at the start of January, after Mexico stepped up immigration enforcement.

The 20-hectare Shelby 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 closed the park now, since daily apprehensions in the region have fallen in recent weeks.

On Friday, the Justice Department told the U.S. Supreme Court that Texas had taken control of Shelby Park and was not letting Border Patrol agents enter. Texas acknowledged seizing the city park, but told the court the federal government had falsely characterized its actions and that it was trying to resolve any disputes over access.

Texas has come under recurring scrutiny over efforts to curb border crossings. Abbott has sent more than 100,000 migrants on buses to Democratic-led cities, even as frigid conditions set in during the winter. Previously, he has strung up razor wire on the border and installed buoy barriers on the Rio Grande.

In Washington, a group of U.S. Congress members has been negotiating with the White House in recent weeks to propose new border measures to enhance security and curb crossing attempts between ports of entry. The border issue has been raised by Republicans as a critical issue before it would consider further U.S. aid for Ukraine in its war with Russia.