The Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department are in ongoing talks about what action can be taken against Texas amid concerns over Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s months-long operation along the US southern border, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
On another shift, the medics said they found about 120 people camping out – including nursing babies and other young children – exhausted, hungry and tired after a day when the temperature reached 108 degrees in the shade. The medics questioned an order to push them back to the river toward Mexico as they thought it was “not the correct thing to do” and one that could have led to a risk of drowning. They were told to leave the area, the trooper wrote in the email.
“I believe we have stepped over a line into the in humane [sic]. We need to operate it correctly in the eyes of God,” the trooper said. “We need to recognize that these are people who are made in the image of God and need to be treated as such.”
In the email, the trooper also voices concerns over the casualty wire.
“The casualty wire needs to provide protection to the state and provide a safe means of travel on solid land to proper collection points. The wire also needs to be manned and patrolled constantly to provide security for these families who are seeking refuge. The wire on the shore needs to be lighted at night so people can see the wire and not stumble into it as a trap. The wire and barrels in the river (need) to be taken out as this is nothing but a in humane [sic] trap in high water and low visibility,” the trooper writes.
DHS spokesperson Erin Heeter said in a statement the report “is troubling and if true is cruel and inhumane.”
“Enforcing immigration law is a federal authority, and DHS continues to prioritize the well-being of those we encounter and those in our custody through the implementation of our plan to safely and humanely manage the Southwest Border. We can both enforce our laws and treat human beings with dignity,” the statement added.
DPS spokesperson Travis Considine was not able to confirm or comment on any of the accounts detailed in the email.
The installation of a marine barrier on the Rio Grande began Friday.
Texas sued over plan to deploy floating barrier on Rio Grande to curb border crossings
When asked about troopers being told to push migrants back into the water or deny water, Considine told CNN the Office of the Inspector General is investigating the incident.
“Troopers give migrants water. They treat their wounds. They save them from drowning. They also do everything possible to deter them from risking their lives in the first place,” Considine tweeted Monday evening.
And Texas National Guard members have not been given any orders to push migrants back into the water, the Texas Military Department’s public affairs office told CNN.
