Three migrants, including two children, drowned in the Rio Grande on Saturday, CNN reports. A woman and two minors were part of a group attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico on Friday night at Eagle Pass, Texas, where federal Border Patrol access has been blocked by Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s border security project, Operation Lone Star, since last week.
Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar posted a statement to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, blaming Abbott for the tragedy. “Border Patrol personnel were forced out of Shelby Park earlier this week by the Texas National Guard under order of Governor Abbott. As a result, Border Patrol was unable to render aid to the migrants and attempt to save them. This is a tragedy, and the State bears responsibility.” In a follow-up, he clarified, “the Texas Military Department and the Texas National Guard did not grant access to Border Patrol agents to save the migrants.”
