Mexican officials reported that a body was discovered near a floating barrier that Texas authorities had just erected in the Rio Grande in an effort to discourage migrants from attempting to enter the United States.
For the first time since it has reported a death near the barrier, Mexico’s foreign ministry stated in a news release on Wednesday that investigators were still trying to recover and identify the body that was seen floating along the barrier. It added the reason of death was yet unknown.
The ministry announced in a different news release on Thursday that a second body had also been located upstream, almost three miles from the location of the first one. Whether the second body was discovered along the floating barrier remained unclear.
The announcement was made only a few weeks after the barriers across from Eagle Pass, Texas, were put in place last month in an attempt to prevent migrants from crossing the river. The action provoked criticism from both sides of the border and led to a Justice Department lawsuit.
Mexico’s foreign ministry stated that Texas authorities were the ones who first made them aware of the remains. Upon receiving requests for comment overnight, the department, the office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency did not respond to them right away.
The revelation drew further condemnation for the barriers’ installation from the Mexican government, whose foreign ministry voiced worries about the “impact” on the safety and human rights of migrants. It further stated that these policies are in opposition to the strong cooperation between the federal governments of the United States and Mexico.
The Biden administration has retaliated against the decision to erect the obstacles; this Monday, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Texas & its Republican governor regarding the buoys.
The civil suit requested a judge to compel the defendants to “promptly remove the unauthorized obstruction” at their own expense, claiming that Gov. Greg Abbott had broken federal law by erecting the floating barricades.
An impediment to the navigable capacity of any United States waterway that is not expressly approved by Congress is prohibited, as stated in the Rivers and Harbors Appropriations Act of 1899, which was referenced in the complaint.
Additionally, it claimed that Abbott disregarded federal law and did not acquire a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prior to erecting the barrier in the Rio Grande.
Abbott accused President Joe Biden last week of trying to meddle in his state’s “sovereign interest” in border security, after learning of the Justice Department’s intention to file a lawsuit. “Mr. President, Texas will see you in court,” he wrote.
Additionally, Abbott maintained that Texas’ actions are not covered by the Rivers and Harbors Appropriations Act. He went on to say that although he agrees with the Biden administration that migrants should be cared for, the president’s actions “point in the wrong direction.”
Abbott wrote, “Neither of us wants to see a further fatality in the Rio Grande River.” “However, rather than allowing people to enter the country safely and legally through a port of entry, your open-border policies encourage people to risk their lives by crossing illegally over the water. “On a bridge, nobody drowns.”
A spokesman for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Justice Department referred to Monday’s lawsuit when contacted earlier regarding Abbott’s letter and declined to comment further.
At the time, Abbott was accused by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre of “sowing chaos” and putting on cruel “political stunts.”
She stated that there are fewer illegal border crossings than there have been since Biden assumed office, saying, “He’s actively undermining our border enforcement plan.”
She claimed that Abbott “is not operating in an honest manner here.”
Known as “Operation Lone Star,” Abbott’s office announced in a July 14 news release that the installation of the marine barriers was part of the administration’s attempt to “protect the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and individuals into Texas; and prevent, identify, and interdict transnational criminal activity between ports of entry.”
According to the press release, “Operation Lone Star continuing to fill the dangerous gaps produced by the Biden Administration’s refusal to secure the border.” “Because of President Joe Biden’s open border policies, every person who is detained or arrested and every unit of drugs seized could have otherwise found its way into communities throughout Texas and the country.”